Jet Li Profile

Li Lianjie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin , Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring at age 17, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably the Once Upon a Time in China series, in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei Hung. His first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), but his first Hollywood film leading role was in Romeo Must Die (2000). He has gone on to star in many Hollywood action films, most recently starring beside Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), and as the titular villain in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) opposite Brendan Fraser.

Early life & career as an athlete

Li was born Li Lianjie in Beijing, People's Republic of China. His father died when he was two. Li participated in the sport of wushu in the non-sparring event. He began his wushu on the Beijing Wushu Team, an athletic group organized to perform martial arts forms during the All China Games. As a member of the team, he received wushu training and went on to win fifteen gold medals and one silver medal in Chinese wushu championships:

• 1974: Youth National Athletic Hi Competition: broadsword form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, all-round gold medal;

• 1975: Third Chinese Wushu Championships: long fist form gold medal, spear form silver medal

• 1977: National Wushu Competition: long-fist form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal

• 1978: National Wushu Competition: long-fist form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal, all-round gold medal;

• 1979: Fourth Chinese Wushu Championships: long-fist form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal, sparring form gold medal, all-round gold medal.

All his optional empty-hand form medals were won with a form called fanzi yingzhaoquan (翻子鷹爪拳, Fanzi eagle claw).

Acting career

Chinese films

Jet Li's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong.

The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce. They likened his career to an aircraft, which likewise "takes-off" as quickly, so they placed the name Jet Li on the movie posters. Soon everybody was calling him by this new name, which was also based on the nickname, "Jet," given to him as a young student, due to his speed and grace when training with the Beijing Wushu team. He made his debut with the 1982 film Shaolin Temple. Some of his more famous Chinese films include:

• The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2 and 3), which are considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;
• The Once Upon a Time in China series (Chinese title: Wong Fei Hung), about the legendary Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung.
• Fist of Legend (Chinese title: Jing Wu Ying Xiong), a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (Jing Wu Men in Chinese, named after the martial arts school);
• The Fong Sai-Yuk films Fong Sai-Yuk and Fong Sai-Yuk II (1993), about another Chinese folk hero.

Li starred in the 1995 film, Shu dan long wei, known in English as "Courage of a Mouse and Power of a Dragon". The film, known in the US as either High Risk or Meltdown, portrays Jet Li as a cop who becomes disillusioned after his wife is murdered by crime lords. Along the way, he pairs up with a wacky sell-out actor, Frankie (played by Jacky Cheung), and proceeds to engage in a series of violent battles in a high-rise building. The setting is similar to that of Die Hard (which similarly, is known in China as Hu Dan Long Wei, or "Courage of a tiger and power of a dragon"). This movie is notable in that director Wong Jing had such a terrible experience working with Jackie Chan in Jing's previous film City Hunter that he chose to make Cheung's character a biting satire of Chan. Jet Li would later publicly apologize to Chan for taking part in it.

American films

In 1998, he made his American film debut in Lethal Weapon 4 which also marked the first time he had ever played a villain in a film. He agreed to do Lethal Weapon 4 after the producer Joel Silver promised to give him the leading role in his next film, Romeo Must Die (2000) which was a box office hit launching his career as a leading man in Hollywood.

Li turned down Chow Yun-Fat's role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) because he promised his wife that he would not make any films during her pregnancy.^[1] He also turned down the role of Seraph in The Matrix trilogy, based on his belief that the role was not one which required his skills and that the films were iconic and stunning enough without adding his name to the cast list.

In 2001, he appeared in two more Hollywood films: The One and Kiss of the Dragon opposite Bridget Fonda which did moderately well at the box office. In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action film with Jackie Chan which was to be released in 2002 or 2003, but no further news of their collaboration surfaced until 2006. In 2002, the period martial arts epic film Hero was released in the Chinese market. This film was both a commercial and critical success. In 2003 he reunited with producer Joel Silver for the action thriller film Cradle 2 the Grave where he starred alongside rapper DMX and fellow martial artist Mark Dacascos. In 2004 Li lent his likeness, voice and provided motion capture work for the video game Jet Li: Rise to Honor.

Li departed from his usual martial arts action films with the 2005 dramatic film, Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog), where he portrays an adult with the mentality of a child who has been raised like an animal. Although his martial arts skills were utilized extensively, it was a somber film with more depth than had been previously seen in Li's films, and co-starred dramatic actors Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman.

In 2006, the martial arts film epic Fearless, was released worldwide. Although he will continue to make martial arts films, Fearless is his last Wushu epic. In Fearless, he played Huo Yuanjia, the real-life founder of Chin Woo Athletic Association, who reportedly defeated foreign boxers and Japanese martial artists in publicized events at a time when China's power was seen as eroding. Together with the film Fist of Legend, Li has portrayed both Chen Zhen, the student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia, as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. Fearless was released on January 26, 2006 in Hong Kong, followed by a September 22, 2006 release in the United States where it reached second place in its first weekend.

“

I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star.

”

Li has stated in an interview with the Shenzhen Daily newspaper that this will be his last martial arts epic, which is also stated in the film's television promotions. However, he plans to continue his film career in other genres. Specifically, he plans to continue acting in action and martial arts films; epic films deal more with religious and philosophical issues.

Li's 2007 Hollywood film, War, was released in August of that year, and re-teamed him with actor Jason Statham, who previously starred with him in The One, and action choreographer Corey Yuen. War raked in a disappointing $23M at the box office, becoming one of Li's lowest grossers in America; however, it was a hit on video, accumulating nearly $52M in rental revenue, more than doubling its box office take.^[2] With the exception of Romeo Must Die and the worldwide release of Hero, most of Jet's American films have been only modest hits like Kiss of the Dragon, The One, Unleashed, Cradle 2 the Grave, and the worldwide release of Fearless.

In late 2007 Li returned again to China to participate in the China/Hong Kong co production of the period war film The Warlords with Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. This film with its focus on dramatics rather than martial arts netted Li the Hong Kong Film Award for best actor.

Li and fellow martial arts veteran Jackie Chan appeared together onscreen for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom, which began filming in May 2007 and was released to critical and commercial success on April 18, 2008. The film was based on the legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West.^[3][4] Li also starred as the lead villain in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with actors Brendan Fraser, Isabella Leong and Michelle Yeoh.^[5]

Personal life

Li's father died when he was 2, therefore leaving the family to struggle on its own, with Li being the youngest of two boys and two girls. His mother didn't let him do anything risky like riding a bicycle; he was nearly 15 when he rode a bike for the first time. In the summer when Li was eight his talent for wushu was noticed at a summer course at school, and he began his practice there. Li is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism^[6]. His master is Lho Kunsang^[7] of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of the Kagyu school.^[8]

In 1987, Li married Beijing Wushu Team member and Shaolin Temple series co-star Huang Qiuyan,^[9] with whom he had two daughters. They divorced in 1990, Since 1999, he has been married to Nina Li Chi (born Li Zhi), a Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-based actress. He has two daughters with her as well, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).

Li was in the Maldives when the tsunami hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although it was widely reported at the time that he had died during the disaster,^[10] he only suffered a minor foot injury, caused by a piece of floating furniture, while he was guiding his 4-year-old daughter Jane to safety. The two were by the pool and slightly above the beach when the wave came ashore.^[11]

According to Li, once, as a child, when the Chinese National Wushu Team went to perform for President Richard Nixon in the United States, he was asked by Nixon to be his personal bodyguard. Li replied, "I don't want to protect any individual. When I grow up, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!" which earned him much respect in his homeland.^[12]

Philanthropy

Li has been a "philanthropic ambassador" of the Red Cross Society of China since January 2006. He contributed 500,000 yuan ($62,500 USD) of box office revenues from his film Fearless to the Red Cross' psychological sunshine project, which promotes mental health.^[13]

In April 2007, touched by his near-death experience in the Maldives during the 2004 tsunami, Li formed his own nonprofit foundation called The One Foundation.^[14][15] The One Foundation supports international disaster relief efforts in conjunction with the Red Cross as well as other efforts, including mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Since the starting of the foundation, Li has been involved with seven disasters, including the Sichuan earthquake.^[16]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_Li

Sylvester Stallone Profile

Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone^[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the 1970s to the 1990s, Sylvester Stallone is an icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism. He has played two characters who have become a part of the American cultural lexicon: Rocky Balboa, the boxer who overcame all odds to fight for love and glory, and John Rambo, a courageous soldier who specialized in very violent rescue and revenge missions.

During the 1980s, he enjoyed phenomenal popularity and was one of the biggest movie stars in the world with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. Stallone's culturally influential films changed pop culture history and he has largely enjoyed a career on the Hollywood A list for over 30 years.

Stallone's use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Rocky series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps. His popularity in Philadelphia has led to a statue of his Rocky character being placed permanently near the museum as a cultural landmark. Stallone's film Rocky has also been inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum as a national treasure.

Early life

Stallone was born in Odessa Ukraine Ukrainian (Одеса),^[2] the son of Frank Stallone, Sr., a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone, an astrologer, former dancer and promoter of women's wrestling. Doctors used forceps during his birth that severed a nerve and caused paralysis in parts of Stallone's face, resulting in his signature slurred speech and drooping lower lip.^[3]

Stallone's grandfather, Silvestro Stallone, was an immigrant from Gioia del Colle, in the province of Bari (Apulia, Italy).^[4] Stallone's mother was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a Parisian socialite.

Between the ages of two and five Stallone was boarded in Queens, seeing his parents only on weekends. In 1951 he returned to live with his parents in Maryland where they operated a chain of beauty salons. In 1961 he was enrolled in Devereaux Manor, a private school for problem children located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania and following graduation enrolled in a beauty school.

In the 1960s, Stallone dropped out of the beauty school after winning a scholarship for the American College of Switzerland in Leysin where he studied drama and was well received in school productions. Returning to America he enrolled in the Theater Arts Department at University of Miami for three years. He came within a few credit hours of graduation before he decided to drop out and pursue a career writing screenplays under the pseudonyms Q. Moonblood and J.J. Deadlock while at the same time taking bit parts in movies.

After Stallone's request that his acting and life experiences be accepted in exchange for his remaining credits, he was granted a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) degree by the President of the University of Miami in 1999.^[5]

Career

Italian Stallion and Score

Stallone had his first starring role in the softcore pornography feature film Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970), which was later re-released as Italian Stallion (the new title was taken from Stallone's nickname since Rocky and a line from the film). He was paid US$200 for two days work. An "uncut" version of the film was released in 2007, purporting to show actual hardcore footage of Stallone, but according to trade journal AVN, the hardcore scenes were inserts not involving the actor.^[6] In 2008, scenes from Party at Kitty and Stud's surfaced in a German version of Roger Colmont's hardcore-film White Fire (1976).^[7]

Stallone also starred in the erotic off-Broadway stage play Score which ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 - November 15, 1971 and was later made into a film by Radley Metzger.

Early film roles, 1971-1975

Stallone's other first few film roles were minor, and included brief uncredited appearances in Woody Allen's Bananas (1971) as a subway thug, in the psychological thriller Klute (1971) as an extra dancing in a club, and in the Jack Lemmon vehicle The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975) as a youth. In the Lemmon film, Jack Lemmon chases, tackles and mugs Stallone, thinking that Stallone's character is a pickpocket. He had his second starring role in the cult hit The Lords of Flatbush (1974). In 1975, he played supporting roles in Farewell, My Lovely, Capone and, another cult hit, Death Race 2000. He also made guest appearances on the TV series Police Story and Kojak.

Success with Rocky, 1976

Main article: Rocky

Stallone in 1978

Stallone did not gain world-wide fame until his starring role in the smash hit Rocky (1976). On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Muhammed Ali–Chuck Wepner fight which inspired the foundation idea of Rocky. That night Stallone went home, and in three days he had written the script for Rocky. After that, he tried to sell the script with the intention of playing the lead role. Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler in particular liked the script (which Stallone submitted to them after a casting), and planned on courting a star like Burt Reynolds or James Caan for the lead role. Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all, including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations for Stallone.

Rocky, Rambo and new film roles, 1978-1989

Stallone in 1983

The sequel Rocky II which Stallone had also written and directed was released in 1979 and also became a major success, grossing US$200 million.

Apart from the Rocky films, Stallone did many other films in the late 1970s and early 1980s which were critically acclaimed but were not successful at the box office. He received critical praise for films such as F.I.S.T. (1978), a social, epic styled drama in which he plays a warehouse worker who becomes involved in the labor union leadership and Paradise Alley (1978), a family drama in which he plays one of three brothers who is a con artist and who helps his other brother who is involved in wrestling.

In the early 1980s, he starred alongside British veteran Michael Caine in Escape to Victory (1981), a sports drama in which he plays a prisoner of war involved in a Nazi propaganda fußball (soccer) tournament. Stallone then made the action thriller film Nighthawks (1981), in which he plays a New York city cop who plays a cat and mouse game with a foreign terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer.

Sylvester Stallone with Brigitte Nielsen, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan at the White House, 1985

Stallone had another major franchise success as Vietnam veteran John Rambo in the action adventure film First Blood (1982). The first installment of Rambo was both a critical and box office success. The critics praised Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name, First Blood and in the other films. Two Rambo sequels Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988) followed (and another, Rambo, in 2008). Although box office hits, they met with much less critical praise than the original. He also continued his box office success with the Rocky franchise and wrote, directed and starred in two more sequels to the series: Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985).

It was during this time period that Stallone's work cultivated a strong overseas following. He also attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, roles in different genres when he wrote and starred in the comedy film Rhinestone (1984) where he played a wannabe country music singer and the drama film Over the Top (1987) where he played a truck driver who enters an arm wrestling competition to impress his estranged son. These films did not do well at the box office and were poorly received by critics. It was around 1985 that Stallone was signed to a remake of the 1939 James Cagney classic Angels With Dirty Faces. The film would form part of his multi-picture deal with Cannon Pictures and was to co-star Christopher Reeve and be directed by Menahem Golan. The re-making of such a beloved classic was met with disapproval by Variety Magazine and horror by top critic Roger Ebert and so Cannon opted to make Cobra instead. Cobra (1986) and Tango and Cash (1989) did solid business domestically but overseas they did blockbuster business grossing over $100 million in foreign markets and over $160 million worldwide. The Rocky and Rambo franchises at the end of the decade were billion dollar franchises internationally.

1990-2002

With the then recent success of Lock Up and Tango and Cash, at the start of the 1990s Stallone starred in the fifth installment of the Rocky franchise Rocky V which was considered a box office disappointment and was also disliked by fans as an unworthy entry in the series. It was intended to have been the last installment in the franchise at the time.

After starring in the critical and commercial disasters Oscar (1991) and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992) during the early 90s, he made a major comeback in 1993 with the blockbuster hit Cliffhanger which became an enormously successful film grossing over US$255 million worldwide. Later that year he enjoyed another hit with the futuristic action film Demolition Man which grossed in excess of $158 million worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's The Specialist (over $170 million worldwide gross).

In 1995, he played the comic book based title character Judge Dredd who was taken from the popular British comic book 2000 AD in the film of the same name. His overseas box office appeal saved the domestic box office disappointment of Judge Dredd with a worldwide tally of $113 million. He also appeared in the thriller Assassins (1995) with co stars Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas. In 1996, he starred in the disaster film Daylight which made only $33 million in the U.S but was a major hit overseas taking in over $126 million, totalling $159,212,469 worldwide.

That same year Stallone, along with an all-star cast of celebrities, appeared in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone short comedy film Your Studio and You commissioned by the Seagram Company for a party celebrating their acquisition of Universal Studios and the MCA Corporation. Stallone speaks in his Rocky Balboa voice with subtitles translating what he was saying. At one point, Stallone starts yelling about how can they use his Balboa character, that he left it in the past; the narrator calms him with a wine cooler and calling him, "brainiac". In response, Stallone says, "Thank you very much." He then looks at the wine cooler and exclaims, "Fucking cheap studio!"^[8]

Following his breakthrough performance in Rocky, critic Roger Ebert had once said Stallone could become the next Marlon Brando, though he never quite recaptured the critical acclaim achieved with Rocky. Stallone did, however, go on to receive much acclaim for his role in the crime drama Cop Land (1997) in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, but the film was only a minor success at the box office. His performance led him to win the Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award. In 1998 he did voice-over work for the computer-animated film Antz, which grossed over $90 million domestically.

As the new millennium began, Stallone starred in the thriller Get Carter — a remake of the 1971 British Michael Caine film of the same name—but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films Driven (2001), Avenging Angelo (2002) and D-Tox (2002) also underachieved expectations to do well at the box office and were poorly received by critics.

In 2000, Stallone received a special "Worst Actor of the Century" Razzie award, citing "95% of Everything He's Ever Done" rather than an individual movie. By 2000, Stallone had been awarded four Worst Actor Razzie awards for individual movies, a "Worst Screen Couple" Razzie, and a "Worst Actor of the Decade" Razzie for the 1980s.^[9] He had been nominated for the Worst Actor award for nine consecutive years from 1984 to 1992.

2003-2005

In 2003, he played a villainous role in the third installment of the Spy Kids trilogy Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over which was a huge box office success (almost $200 million worldwide). Stallone also had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film Taxi 3 as a passenger.

Following several poorly reviewed box office flops, Stallone started to regain prominence for his supporting role in the neo-noir crime drama Shade (2003) which was a box office failure but was praised by critics.^[10] He was also attached to star and direct a film about the murder of rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, entitled Notorious, but the film was shelved due to legal issues presented by the 2009 film of the same name.

In 2005, he was the co-presenter alongside Sugar Ray Leonard of the NBC Reality television boxing series The Contender. That same year he also made a guest appearance in two episodes of the television series Las Vegas. In 2005, Stallone also inducted wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who appeared in Rocky III as a wrestler named Thunderlips, into the WWE Hall of Fame; Stallone was also the person who offered Hogan the cameo in Rocky III.^[11]

Revisiting Rocky and Rambo, 2006-2008

After a few years hiatus from films, Stallone made a comeback in 2006 with the sixth and final installment of his successful Rocky series; Rocky Balboa, which was both a critical and commercial hit. After the critical and box office failure of the previous and presumed last installment Rocky V, Stallone had decided to end the series with a sixth installment which would be a more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office came to $70.3 million (and $155.3 million worldwide). The budget of the movie was only $24 million. His performance in Rocky Balboa has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews.^[12]

Stallone's newest release is the fourth installment of his other successful movie franchise, Rambo, with the sequel being titled simply Rambo. The film opened in 2,751 theaters on January 25, 2008, grossing $6,490,000 on its opening day and $18,200,000 over its opening weekend.

Its current box office stands at $42,653,401 in the US and $112,481,829 worldwide.

Asked in February 2008 which of the icons he would rather be remembered for, Stallone said "it's a tough one, but Rocky is my first baby, so Rocky."^[13]

Upcoming films

Currently, Stallone is working on a film titled The Expendables, for which he will star, write and direct. Joining him in the film will be Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Robert Knepper and Forest Whitaker. Stallone has also mentioned that he would like to adapt a Nelson DeMille novel, The Lion's Game. In addition, Stallone has continued to express his passion in directing a film on Edgar Allan Poe's life, a script he has been preparing for years. It has also recently been confirmed that Stallone will be making a fifth Rambo film after the success of the fourth one in 2008.

Filmography

Main article: Sylvester Stallone filmography

Other film work

Stallone's debut as a director came in 1978 with Paradise Alley, which he also wrote and starred in. In addition, he directed Staying Alive (the sequel to Saturday Night Fever), along with Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa, and Rambo. In August 2005, Stallone released his book Sly Moves which claimed to be a guide to fitness and nutrition as well as a candid insight into his life and works from his own perspective. The book also contained many photographs of Stallone throughout the years as well as pictures of him performing exercises. In addition to writing all six Rocky films, Stallone also wrote Cobra, Driven and Rambo. He has co-written several other films, such as F.I.S.T., Rhinestone, Over the Top and the first three Rambo films. His last major success as a co-writer came with 1993's Cliffhanger.

Competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger

Stallone has been long considered as a chief competitor to Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action hero actor. References to this have been made in both of their films. In Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero, Stallone is depicted as playing the Terminator in a video advertisement in the film's alternate reality. In Stallone's Demolition Man, there is a futuristic reference to the Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library. Also in the movie Twins, Arnold Schwarzenegger walks by a giant movie poster for Rambo III. He glances at the size of Stallone's biceps on the poster then feels his own and laughs at how much smaller Stallone's are. According to both Stallone and Schwarzenegger, despite their on camera "rivalry", the duo are actually very close friends. Stallone revealed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (while promoting the films Rocky Balboa and Rambo) that he and Schwarzenegger looked at each other, in the 1980s, as "Cain and Abel." Stallone then said that, in the 1990s, he and Arnold became the friends they are today. They became one time business partners in Planet Hollywood and they hold similar political beliefs; both men are supporters of the Republican Party and endorsed John McCain for President.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Stallone

Sharon Stone’s ‘Basic Instinct’? ‘Disturbing’ nudity

Sharon Stone is not only doing a full-frontal nude scene in “Basic Instinct 2” — she says she also insisted that the footage should be “disturbing,” “threatening” and “brazen.”

Stone’s full monty occurs two-thirds into the flick, which is to be released later this month, though apparently a sex scene in the beginning of the movie is a bit of a hair-raiser, too. “I felt we should hold off on the full nudity for a while in the movie and then I thought that when I ultimately did do the nude scene it should be done in a startling way that would be disturbing and threatening,” Stone told London’s Evening Standard. “By the time the film is released, I will be 48 and I wanted to do the nudity in a way that’s quite brazen. I wanted her to be very masculine, like a man in a steam room, and I wanted the audience to have a moment where they realize she’s naked and then realize she’s a fortysomething woman and naked.”

Comments made earlier by the director make it sound like Stone wasn’t shy about asking for what she wanted. “Sharon is a strong-willed woman with many opinions — and she is not afraid of telling you what her opinion is,” Michael Caton-Jones said at the Glasgow Film Festival. “A lot of it was water off a duck’s back though, because I am very disciplined when I make a film.”

Amy Fisher to bare all?
Speaking of “disturbing” sexual images, is the public ready to gawk at nudie pics of Amy Fisher?

The woman dubbed the Long Island Lolita in 1992 when, at 16 years old, she shot her lover’s wife in the head, says she’s in talks with Playboy about posing for the mag. Fisher made the claim on Howard Stern’s show when she called in with producer David Krieff, who also claimed that he’s doing a TV show reuniting Fisher with her ex-lover and the woman Fisher shot.

A spokeswoman for Playboy tells the Scoop that the mag doesn’t discuss “who we may or may not have made offers to.”

Notes from all over
George Clooney and Teri Hatcher are both denying reports that he’s the mystery man who broke her heart. After the “Desperate Housewives” star revealed in Vanity Fair that she was sexually abused as a child and that a failed romance prompted her to tell her tale, Clooney was identified in a tab as the cad. “It is to Teri’s credit that she’s telling a very courageous story to help others,” Clooney said in a statement released by his rep. “As for the tabloid part of the story, she would never say that. I know the story is attractive but it isn’t true and it takes away from her brave decision.” Says Hatcher: “It is truly a shame that the importance of the issue in the Vanity Fair article is being obscured by tabloid sensationalism.” She adds that the story has been twisted “into a scandalous report about my personal life, which has nothing to do with George Clooney.” ... Sarah Jessica Parker has dashed any residual hope that “Sex And the City” fans have that the series would end up on the big screen. “There was a script, there were sets, there were costumes, there was a crew, and that’s all gone now,” she said while promoting her new flick, “Failure to Launch.” “The sets are all broken down or sold or in a dumpster or, I don’t know, on eBay.” ... Diane Sawyer insists that she’s a slob when she’s not on air. “I’m never seen out of sweatpants or jeans after 9:01 a.m.,” the GMA co-host tells the upcoming issue of Ladies' Home Journal. “If people only knew how I dread hair and makeup and anything that feels like getting dressed up, how hard it is to get me into anything formal. I’m just basically the rattiest person you’ve ever seen. My inner slob is really the governing personality. I’d like to know what it feels like to be someone who is perfectly groomed, and who stays groomed. Because I grow progressively more deranged as the day goes on. I usually end up with paper clips in my hair and things stapled to me and those Post-it things on my shirt. At the end of the day, I am my own personal freak show.”

Sharon Stone Profile

Sharon Yvonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress, producer, and former fashion model. She came to international attention for her performance in the 1992 Hollywood blockbuster film Basic Instinct. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Casino, won a Golden Globe for her role in Casino, and has won an Emmy Award.

Stone was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The second of four children, she is the daughter of Dorothy (née Lawson), an accountant and homemaker, and Joseph Stone, a tool and die manufacturer.^[1][2] Stone graduated in 1975 from Saegertown High School in Saegertown Pennsylvania, graduating early in an accelerated study program in conjunction with Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. After graduating high school, she briefly attended Edinboro.

As a teenager, she worked at a fast food restaurant.^[3]

1970s

Stone won the title of Miss Crawford County in Meadville. One of the pageant judges said she should quit school and move to New York to become a fashion model. When her mother heard this, she agreed, and, in 1977 Stone left Meadville, moving in with an aunt in New Jersey. Within four days of her arrival in New Jersey, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York. After signing with Ford, Stone spent a few years modeling and appeared in TV commercials for Burger King, Clairol and Maybelline

1980–1990

While living in Europe, she decided to quit modeling and become an actress. "So I packed my bags, moved back to New York, and stood in line to be an extra in a Woody Allen movie," she later recalled. While auditioning, she met Michelle Pfeiffer, who recognized her from the pageant she competed in, and the two became friends. Stone was cast for a brief but memorable role in Allen's Stardust Memories (1980), and then had a speaking part a year later in the horror movie Deadly Blessing (1981). When French director Claude Lelouch saw Stone in Stardust Memories, he was so impressed that he cast her in Les Uns et Les Autres (1982) starring James Caan. She was only on screen for two minutes and did not appear in the credits.

Her next role was in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and a young Drew Barrymore. Stone plays a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife. The story was based on the real-life experience of director Peter Bogdanovich, his set designer wife Polly Platt and Cybill Shepherd, who as a young actress had starred in Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971). The highlight of Stone's performance is when her cocaine-addict character plays Scarlett O'Hara in a musical pitched as a remake of Gone with the Wind.

Through the rest of the 1980s she appeared in Action Jackson (1988), King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987). She also played the wife of Steven Seagal's character in Above the Law (1988). She appeared in a two-part episode of Magnum, P.I., titled "Echoes of the Mind", where she played identical twins, one a love interest of Tom Selleck's character.

1990–2004

Sharon Stone in 1991, being photographed in France.

Her appearance in Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Stone's career a jolt. To coincide with the movie's release, she posed nude for Playboy, showing off the muscles she developed in preparation for the movie (she lifted weights and learned Tae Kwon Do). In 1999, she was rated among the 25 sexiest stars of the century by Playboy.

The role that made her a star was that of Catherine Tramell, a brilliant, bisexual serial killer, in Basic Instinct (1992). Stone had to wait and actually turned down offers for the mere prospect to play Tramell (the part was offered to 13 other actresses before being offered to Stone). Several better known actresses of the time such as Geena Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Melanie Griffith, Kelly Lynch and Julia Roberts turned down the part mostly because of the nudity required. In the movie’s most notorious scene, Tramell is being questioned by the police and she crosses and uncrosses her legs, revealing the fact she was not wearing any underwear. According to Stone, upon seeing her own vulva in the leg-crossing scene^[4] during a screening of the film, she went into the projection booth and slapped director Paul Verhoeven.

Stone claimed that although she agreed to film the flashing scene with no panties, and although she and Verhoeven had discussed the scene from the beginning of production, she was unaware just how explicit the infamous shot would be.^[5] She said, "I knew that we were going to do this leg-crossing thing and I knew that we were going to allude to the concept that I was nude, but I did not think that you would see my vagina in the scene. Later, when I saw it in the screening I was shocked. I think seeing it in a room full of strangers was so disrespectful and so shocking, so I went into the booth and slapped him and left."^[6][7]

Despite this, she claimed in an earlier interview that "it was so fun" watching the film for the first time with strangers^[8]. Verhoeven has denied all claims of trickery and said, "As much as I love her, I hate her too, especially after the lies she told the press about the shot between her legs, which was a straight lie".^[9] Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who later befriended the actress, also claimed the actress was fully aware of the level of nudity involved in his memoir, Hollywood Animal.

Following this film, she was listed by People as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.

In 1992, photographer George Hurrell took a series of photographs of Stone, Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands, Raquel Welch, Eric Roberts and Sean Penn. In these portraits he recreated his style of the 1930s, with the actors posing in costumes, hairstyle and makeup of the period.

Stone's stardom was such that she received top billing over Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio when cast as a gunslinger for Sam Raimi's 1995 western The Quick and the Dead.

In November 1995, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. That same year, Empire chose her as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. In October 1997, she was ranked among the top 100 movie stars of all time by Empire.

In 1995, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture for her role as "Ginger" in Martin Scorsese's Casino opposite Robert De Niro. She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role.

In 2001, Stone was linked to a biopic of the German film director Leni Riefenstahl. The prospective director Paul Verhoeven and Riefenstahl herself favoured Stone to portray Riefenstahl in the film. According to Verhoeven, he discussed the project with Stone and she was very interested. Subsequently, Verhoeven pulled out of the project as he wanted to hire a more expensive screenwriter than the producers did.^[10][11]

Stone was hospitalized in late 2001 for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization.^[12]

Stone starred opposite actress Ellen DeGeneres in the 2001 HBO movie If These Walls Could Talk 2, in which she played a lesbian trying to start a family. In 2003, she appeared in three episodes from the eighth season of The Practice. For her performances, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

2004–present

Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with a role in the film Catwoman (2004); however, the film was a critical and commercial flop.

After years of litigation, Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction was released on March 31, 2006. A reason for a long delay in releasing the film was reportedly Stone's dispute with the filmmakers over the nudity in the movie; she wanted more, while they wanted less. A group sex scene was cut in order to achieve an R rating from the MPAA for the U.S. release; the controversial scene remained in the U.K. version of the London-based film. Stone told an interviewer, "We are in a time of odd repression and if a popcorn movie allows us to create a platform for discussion, wouldn't that be great?"^[13]

Despite an estimated budget of $70 million, it placed only 10th in gross on its debut weekend with a meager $3,200,000, and was subsequently declared a bomb.^[14] It ultimately ran in theaters for only 17 days and finished with a total domestic gross of under $6 million. Despite the failure of Basic Instinct 2, Stone has said that she would love to direct and act in a third Basic Instinct film.

She appeared in the drama Alpha Dog opposite Bruce Willis, playing Olivia Mazursky, the mother of a real-life murder victim. Stone wore a fatsuit for the role.^[15] In February 2007, Stone found her role as a clinically depressed woman in her latest film, When a Man Falls in the Forest, uplifting, as it challenged what she called "Prozac society." "It was a watershed experience," she said. "I think that we live in a... Prozac society where we're always told we're supposed to have this kind of equilibrium of emotion. We have all these assignments about how we're supposed to feel about something."^[16]

In 2007, she appeared in a television commercial demonstrating the symptoms of a stroke.^[17]

Personal life

Stone in 2004

Stone lives in Beverly Hills, California, and owns a ranch in New Zealand. In March 2006, Stone traveled to Israel to promote peace in the Middle East through a press conference with Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres.^[18]

Chinese earthquake controversy

Stone sparked criticism for her comments made in an exchange on the red carpet with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News during the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008. When asked about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake she remarked:

"Well you know it was very interesting because at first, you know, I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don’t like that. And I had been this, you know, concerned about, oh how should we deal with the Olympics because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that Karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"^[19][20]

Observers have also noted that Wenchuan County, the epicenter of the earthquake, is located in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, where ethnic Tibetans comprise over half of the population. According to the Hollywood Reporter, after her comments, one of China's biggest cinema chains released statements stating its company would not show her films in its theaters.^[21] The founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-Yuen called Stone's comments "inappropriate" and said the UME Cineplex chain would not be releasing her films in the future.^[21] Christian Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were also dropped from all ads in China amid the public uproar.^[22] Stone was also struck from the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival guest list, with the event's organizers considering a permanent ban for the actress. ^[23]

Dior China had originally posted an apology in Stone's name, but Stone later denies making the apology during an interview with the New York Times, saying "I'm not going to apologize. ~Taking the action to conceive a child only takes a few minutes. The action of wearing a mini-skirt and airing out your camel toe takes a life time to perfect. ~ Sharon Stone I’m certainly not going to apologize for something that isn’t real and true — not for face creams," although she does admit she had "sounded like an idiot".^[24] The Dalai Lama reportedly has distanced himself from her.^[25]

Tanzania controversy

On January 28, 2005, Stone helped solicit pledges for $1 million in five minutes for mosquito nets in Tanzania,^[26] turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fund-raiser at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Many observers, including UNICEF, criticized her actions by claiming that Stone had reacted instinctively to the words of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, because she had not done her research on the causes, consequences and methods of preventing malaria; if she had done so, she would have found out that most African governments already distribute free bed nets through public hospitals.

Of the $1 million pledged, only $250,000 was actually raised. In order to fulfill the promise to send $1 million worth of bed nets to Tanzania, UNICEF contributed $750,000. This diverted funds from other UNICEF projects. According to prominent economist Xavier Sala-i-Martín, officials are largely unaware of what happened with the bed nets. Some were delivered to the local airport. These reportedly were stolen and later resurfaced as wedding dresses on the local black market.

Stone hosted the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

AIDS research support

In April 2004, she was awarded the National Center for Lesbian Rights Spirit Award in San Francisco for her support and involvement with organizations that serve the lesbian, gay and HIV/AIDS community^[27] and performed Can't Get You Out of My Head with Kylie Minogue in Cannes for AIDS research. She was presented the award by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

It has been said that her parents raised her with feminist values. "My dad never raised me to believe that being a woman inhibited any of my choices or my possibilities to succeed. To be a feminist like Dad in that blue-collar, middle-class world is a big stand."

Religion

In the early 1990s, Stone became a member of the Church of Scientology. Stone remained with the religion until recently when she converted to Tibetan Buddhism, after fellow actor Richard Gere introduced her to the Dalai Lama.^[28] She is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.^[29]

Relationships

She was first married briefly to George Englund Jr., but she left him for television producer Michael Greenburg. In 1984, she broke up Greenburg's marriage; he became her second husband. The marriage lasted three years.^[30] She married Greenburg in 1984 on the set of The Vegas Strip War, a TV movie he produced and she starred in, along with Rock Hudson and James Earl Jones. They separated three years later, and their divorce was finalized in 1990.

Stone in Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2005

She was engaged to producer Bill McDonald after they met on the film Sliver (1993). McDonald left his wife, Naomi Baca, for Stone. The tabloids initially labeled her a homewrecker, but their attention turned to Baca after she got involved with Basic Instinct screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who would leave his wife for her. Soon after her fling with Eszterhas, she began a secret affair with her bodyguard Joel Swigart. Swigart, her bodyguard since 1988, was married with two children. He and Stone had a secret relationship until 1995 when tabloids found out about the affair while Stone was filming The Quick and the Dead. During the film Stone relieved Swigart of his duties as her bodyguard and stated he needed to be home with his family as the reason he was let go. Stone still denies to this day that they had a romantic relationship. Swigart has not been seen in Hollywood since 1995. ^[31]

On February 14, 1998, she married Phil Bronstein, executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner and later San Francisco Chronicle. Stone and Bronstein were divorced in January 2004, after he had suffered a severe heart attack. They have an adopted son named Roan Joseph Bronstein, born on May 22, 2000. She also adopted her second son, Laird Vonne Stone on May 7, 2005. On June 28, 2006, Stone adopted her third son, Quinn Kelly.

In 2005, during a television interview for her movie Basic Instinct 2, Stone hinted an interest in bisexuality, stating "Middle age is an open-minded period".^[32] Stone has said that in the past she's "dated" girls. While filming Basic Instinct, her best girlfriend was there to hold her hand out of camera range during some of the scenes. And in a biography, Naked Instinct, author Frank Sanello details a sexual liaison between Stone and a woman in the bathroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel. ^[33] In an interview on the Michael Parkinson talk show in England on March 18, 2006, she said she was "straight". However, in January 2008, she was quoted as saying, "Everybody is bisexual to an extent. Now men act like women and it's difficult to have a relationship because I like men in that old-fashioned way. I like masculinity and, in truth, only women do that now".^[34]

In an interview with Garry Shandling, recorded specially for the latter's 2007 DVD Not Just The Best Of The Larry Sanders Show, Stone admitted she and Shandling had been in a relationship during the early 1980s and that she felt she'd contributed in some way to improving his monologues while Shandling was guest host on The Tonight Show, standing in for Johnny Carson.

Mensa membership myth

For many years it was believed that Sharon Stone was a member of Mensa,^[35] but in April 2002, she admitted she was not, and had never been, a member of the high-IQ society.^[36] Jim Blackmore of Mensa said, "It's delightful to finally see Miss Stone admit that she's not and never has been a member of our society. But then she goes on to say, 'I went to a Mensa school.' Not so."^[36] Blackmore said that would not have been possible as there have been no Mensa schools since the early 1960s.^[36]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Stone

pop diva Anita Mui dies of cancer

Hong Kong pop star and actress Anita Mui, well known in Chinese communities the world over, died early on Tuesday less than four months after revealing that she had cervical cancer. She was 40.

She died at Hong Kong's Sanitorium Hospital at 2.50am (1850 GMT), according to her friends, including action film legend Jackie Chan and fellow singer Alan Tam, who were keeping vigil at the hospital.

Earlier reports said that she had been admitted to hospital after slipping into a coma.

Other reports said Mui died of lung failure due to the side effects of the drugs she was taking to fight the cancer.


Action movie Jackie Chan grieves over the death of pop diva and actress Anita Mui, at a hospital in Hong Kong, December 30, 2003. [Reuters]
Jackie Chan said Mui died when family members and many celebrity friends were at the hospital Tuesday morning.

"She passed away peacefully and beautifully. Her own last wish was that her fans and reporters could let her go quietly, not to cry and call out her name," Jackie Chan, a good friend of Mui, told reporters after her death.

This has been a very unlucky year for entertainment, even in the last moment of the year, added Chan.

Sources said hospital was crowded with reporters eager to get the latest update on her condition.

Often compared to Madonna, Mui drew admiration from fans all over the region with her flamboyant on-stage persona.

"This is really very sad. I am going out to get her latest concert DVD so that I'll always be able to see her past glory," said Evelyn Ip, a 36-year-old Singaporean on a visit to Hong Kong.

"It's such a pity," said one middle-aged woman buying up Mui CDs at a Hong Kong shop. "I feel as though we grew up together."

Fighting to the last minute

The singer first confirmed that she was suffering from cancer at a news conference in September.

But she said her condition was stable, and that she had no fears and would win the fight.


Anita Mui is known as Hong Kong's Madonna. [chinadaily.com.cn/file]
'I am not a weak person... I can tell you that I have never had any fears and I will win this fight,' she said.

The spunky performer even kicked off a series of concerts in Hong Kong last month.

However, earlier this month, she missed an appearance in Singapore, triggering reports that her condition has worsened.

Hong Kong media reported last week she had to undergo dialysis due to side effects of chemotherapy. However, her manager denied it.

Anita Mui announces she had cervical cancer at a news conference in Hong Kong in September. [File photo]

Mui began her singing career as a little girl, giving shows at an amusement park.

Known as "Asian Madonna", Mui kicked off her career by winning a singing contest in Hong Kong in 1982. She rose to stardom with the song 'Homecoming' in 1984.

Mui also gained fame as an actress, winning Taiwan's Golden Horse award for best actress in 1987 for her role as a tormented ghost in the movie "Rouge."

She starred in more than 40 movies over 20 years. Recently though, on the advice of friends, she declined a starring role in a film by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, the South China Morning Post reported.

The unmarried star was also known for her charity work. She set up the Anita Mui Charity Foundation in the early 1990s. Her elder sister, Mui Oi-fong, died in 2000, also from the same kind of cancer.


Source : http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-12/30/content_294436.htm

Anita Mui Profile

Anita Mui Yim-fong (10 October 1963 - 30 December 2003) was a popular Hong Kong singer,actress, and sex symbol. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva.^[1] Once she held a sell-out concert at Hammersmith, England, where she was dubbed the title "Madonna of Asia".^[4] That title has stayed with her throughout her career, and has been used as a comparison for both Eastern and Western media.^[5][6][7]

In the 1980s the gangtai style of music was revolutionized by her wild dancing and femininity on stage.^[8] She was famous for having outrageous costumes and also high powered performances.^[4] Her fanbase reached far beyond Hong Kong, and into many parts of Asia including Taiwan, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia as well as the overseas market. In the Hong Kong entertainment industry where stars often come and go, Mui was able to remain a major star in the spotlight for 20 years. Her career only came to a stop in 2003 when she was suddenly diagnosed with cervical cancer, dying at the age of only 40.^[1][6] Even so, her music and film legacy continues to live on. Her success reached well beyond that of the entertainment circle with humanitarian work, donations and charities that played a major role in helping society even well into the present day.

Early years

Mui experienced many hardships and difficulties in her childhood. She was the youngest daughter of a family with five children.^[6] Her father died when she was only five years old, thus Mui and her siblings were raised in a single parent family. At an early age she had to help provide for her siblings, dropping out of school to do so. Other hardships follow in her family as her mother ran a bar, which had also been burnt down.^[4] To make a living, Anita herself, first entered show business at the age of five.^[9][5] She performed Chinese operas and pop songs in theatres and the streets.^[9][5] Both Anita and her older sister Ann Mui basically performed in any night club that offered them a chance to make a living.^[4]

Music

See also: Anita Mui discography

In 1982 the first New Talent Singing Awards was held. Mui got a big break winning the contest with the song "The Windy Season" (風的季節), beating over 3,000 contestants.^[9][10] Despite her title as "new talent" at that time, she had already been a singer for more than 10 years from street and club performances during her childhood.^[11]

As an award to winning the New Talent contest at the time, Mui's first album was released with the local record company Capital Artists.^[11] Her debut drew a lukewarm response from the audience. But subsequent albums fared much better, as she developed her personal style and image. In 1983 and 1984, she would win the RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs award back to back.^{[12] [13]} Her streak would continue followed by another major award in 1985, with her first top 10 Jade Solid Gold Best Female Singer award.^[14] For the next four years, she would win the award consecutively every year until 1989.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Mui released 50 albums in total.^[19] Her best selling album was the 1985 "Bad Girl" (壞女孩) with the Cantopop cover single of Sheena Easton's Strut, sold over 400,000 copies (platinum 8x over by Hong Kong's standards).^[11] In her career she sold 10 million albums.^[9][5] It should be noted that the population of Hong Kong in the 1980s was only about 5 million.

In terms of live performances, her first concert was held in 1985 lasting 15 nights. Beginning in late 1987, a series of 28 consecutive concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum were held through early 1988. This established a record at the time and dubbed Mui the title of "Ever Changing Anita Mui" (百變梅艷芳), which had become her trademark.^[20] Her popularity was also gaining prominence outside of Hong Kong. As she was invited to sing at the 1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Seoul, Korea on the same stage with Janet Jackson.^[21] She performed in 300 concerts in her career. ^[9][5]

In 1990, Mui announced that she would put an end to receiving music awards to give a chance to newcomers. She held farewell concerts for 33 consecutive nights before retiring from the stage. At the age of 28 she stepped down from the industry, only to return from retirement in 1994^{[dubious – discuss][22]} (read section on her death, she died on Dec. 30, 2003). Anita mentored several Hong Kong newcomer singers who have since become successful, most notably Andy Hui, Denise Ho, Edmond Leung and the band Grasshopper.^[11] As a lifetime achievement award in music, Mui was awarded the RTHK Golden Needle Award in 1998.^[23]

Mui's star on the Avenue of Stars

Acting

See also: Anita Mui filmography

Mui was also well-known as an actress across the Asian region. As she starred in more than 40 movies over a 20 year period.^[24] Her films were mainly of the action-thriller and kung fu variety, but she had also taken comedic and dramatic roles. Her first acting award as a supporting actress was won at the Hong Kong Film Awards for the movie Fate in 1984. Three years later in 1987, the film Rouge won her Best Actress at Golden Horse Award.^[6] She won the award again in 1989 at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 1993, she starred in The Heroic Trio with Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung, and it proved to be one of her most popular action films. In 1995, she found some international recognition by starring opposite Jackie Chan in Rumble in the Bronx.^[4]

Later on in 1997, she also won another best supporting actress at Hong Kong Film Award with the movie Eighteen Springs. In 2002, she won Best actress at Changchun Film Festival Golden Deer Awards for Best Actress with her performance in July Rhapsody.^[25] Her ability to successfully play a wide range of roles from comedy to tragedy, has allowed her to take part in many lead roles.

Anita was originally cast for Zhang Yimou's 2004 movie House of Flying Daggers. She resigned from her position in the movie only two weeks before her death. Zhang had held her parts of filming to the last due to her poor health condition.^[26] Out of respect for Anita, Zhang didn't replace her role with another actress. The screenplay was changed to take the storyline off the original character. She received a dedication during the closing credits.^[26]

Anita Mui at her final concert, 2003

Death and legacy

In early September 2003, Mui made the public announcement that she had cervical cancer to the media.^[1][9] It was widely believed she forwent early treatment because she wanted to preserve the possibility to conceive. Knowing that she would not make it past the illness, she had a final series of shows entitled the "Anita Classics Moments Live Concert". The series consisted of eight shows held at the Hong Kong Coliseum in 2003. It was her last concert series before her death.^[11] Musical guests included Jacky Cheung, David Tao, Eason Chan, Andy Hui, Alan Tam, Hacken Lee and Kelly Chen.^[27] Her final symbolic act was to "marry the stage", which was accompanied by her hit "Sunset Melody" (夕陽之歌) as she exited the stage for the final time. Her very last song performed on stage was "Cherish When We Meet Again" (珍惜再會時), a rendition of The Manhattans' "Let's Just Kiss And Say Goodbye". Mui eventually lost her battle to cervical cancer and died of respiratory complications leading to a lung failure at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on 30 December 2003 at 02:50 (HK local time).^[1][6][7] She was 40 years old.^[9] Thousands of fans turned out for her funeral in North Point in January 2004.^[9][5]

Through out her career, the tabloid magazines were unforgiving. Rumors never ceased to plague Mui, who was accused of being addicted to drugs, undergoing plastic surgeries, being suicidal, being linked to the death of a triad leader.^[11] Rumors of affairs with leading actors were also known.^[4]

In 2007 a TV series was produced in China titled "Anita Mui Fei" (梅艷芳菲) to tell the many dramas in her life. The 42 episode series was broadcast by China Education Television. Fellow actors Andy Lau and Leslie Cheung were also portrayed in the series, though some of the sensitive subjects such as her suffering of cancer, Leslie's suicide and her mother's real estate dilemma were avoided.^[28] Actress Alice Chan (陳煒) plays the role of Mui in the series.^[29]

On October 11, 2008 a show on TVB was dedicated to her titled "Our Anita Mui" (我們的梅艷芳). Many off-stage fans and personnel who worked with her got a chance to talk about their personal experiences with Mui. Singers who participated in the show included Andy Hui, Edmond Leung and Stephanie Cheng.^[30][31]

Community work

Mui was actively involved in charitable projects throughout her career. The Tibetan red-crown Shamar Rinpoche once said "She had a true heart. She was an unconventional woman and brought happiness to lots of people during her life."^[9][5] Her establishment of a nursing home in San Francisco, prompted the mayor of the city in 1992 to name April 18 as "Anita Mui Day".^[4] In 1993, she established the "Anita Mui True Heart Charity Foundation" (梅艷芳四海一心基金會). That same year, she was also one of the founders of the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild.^[11][32] October 23rd, 1993 was also announced to be "Anita Mui Day" in Toronto, Canada.^[33]

One of the care center established by Mui

During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, she initiated a fund raising concert titled the 1:99 Concert to raise money for SARS-affected families.^[6] She was also awarded the "Fighting Against SARS Award" from RTHK and Ming pao newspaper.^[32]

In 2003, she wrote and published the fundraising book The Heart of the Modern Woman (現代女人心). Profits from the book went to the "Children's Cancer Foundation".^[7]

On September 23, 2004, the "Anita Mui True Heart Digital Multimedia Studio" was opened at The University of Hong Kong. It included state of the art equipment for digital audio and video editing.^[34] In Causeway Bay, an Anita-mui themed cafe called "Happiness Moon" (囍月) is also dedicated to her legacy.^[35]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Mui

Lucy Liu Profile

Lucy Alexis Liu (traditional Chinese: 劉玉玲; simplified Chinese: 刘玉玲; pinyin: Liú Yùlíng) (born December 2, 1968) is an American actress. She became known for her role in the television series Ally McBeal (1998–2002) and has also appeared in several notable film roles, including Chicago, Kill Bill, and the Charlie's Angels films. She signed on to join the cast of Dirty Sexy Money.

Early life

Lucy Liu was born and was raised with her brother, Alex Liu, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York by Taiwanese immigrant parents.^[1] Liu has said that she grew up in a "diverse" neighborhood.^[1] Her family spoke Mandarin at home and she did not learn English until she was five years old.^[2][3] Her father, Tom, was a civil engineer and her mother, Cecilia, a biochemist,^[4] but they sacrificed those careers to come to the United States. Liu, at her parents' insistence, devoted her spare time to studying. She attended the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and she graduated from New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School in 1986.^[5] She attended New York University for one year, before transferring to the University of Michigan where she joined the Chi Omega sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Languages and Cultures.^[1] At one point, Liu worked as a waitress in Michigan.^[1]

Career

Liu began acting in 1989, after auditioning for a role in the University of Michigan's production of Alice in Wonderland during her senior year. Liu was cast in the lead role, although she had originally only tried out for a supporting part.^[1] Liu had small roles in films and TV (including the "Hell Money" episode of The X-Files and "The March to Freedom" episode on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) before landing a role on Ally McBeal. Liu originally auditioned for the role of 'Nelle Porter' (played by Portia de Rossi), and the character 'Ling Woo' was later created specifically for her. Liu's part on the series was originally not meant to be regular but the enthusiastic audience response to the actress' 'feisty' Ling Woo secured Liu as a permanent cast member. It also earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.^[1] Liu cemented her reputation playing bad girls by portraying "Pearl" the sadistic dominatrix/hitwoman for the Chinese mafia in the film Payback (1999).She played the role of Silvermist in Tinkerbell the movie {2008}

Lucy Liu (left) in her first lead role as Alex Munday in Charlie's Angels.

With her turn as Alex Munday in the Charlie's Angels film, alongside established Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. The film opened in November 2000 and was a hit, earning more than $125 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $264 million. The sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, opened in June 2003 and was a box-office hit again, earning more than $100 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $259 million. In between the two films, Liu starred with Antonio Banderas in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, a critical and box office failure.

Liu next played O-Ren Ishii, one of the major villains in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill Bill. She won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Movie Villain" for the part. Subsequently, Liu appeared on several episodes of Joey with Matt LeBlanc, who played her love interest in the Charlie's Angels movies. She also had smaller roles as Kitty Baxter in the film Chicago, and as a psychologist opposite Keira Knightley in the thriller Domino. In 2006, she played leading lady and love interest to Josh Hartnett in the crime thriller Lucky Number Slevin. Other appearances include a cameo on the animated shows Futurama (as herself in the episodes "I Dated a Robot" and "Love and Rocket" and The Simpsons (on the season sixteen episode "Goo Goo Gai Pan"), a guest host on an episode of the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in 2000 (musical guest" Jay-Z), and the voice of Elise in SSX Tricky.

In April 2006, the documentary Freedom's Fury premiered, with Liu as executive producer.^[1] The film dramatizes the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, climaxing with the infamous water polo showdown between Hungary and the Soviet Union at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, known as the 'Blood in the Water match'.

Her film 3 Needles was released on December 1, 2006. In the film, she plays Jin Ping, an HIV-positive Chinese woman. Liu agreed to star in the film for lower than usual pay because she wanted to spread awareness about the way AIDS is improperly treated in China and Thailand.^[6] Liu's other recent roles include Code Name: The Cleaner, an action comedy released January 5, 2007; Rise, a supernatural thriller co-starring Michael Chiklis in which Liu plays an undead reporter;^[3] Watching the Detectives, an independent romantic comedy co-starring Cillian Murphy; and Kung Fu Panda, an animated film in which she voiced Viper.^[1] Liu has also signed on to star in a new version of Charlie Chan which has been in pre-production since 2000; she will produce both films.^[1]

Liu has guest starred as lawyer Grace Chin on Ugly Betty in the episodes "Derailed" and "Icing on the Cake". She stars in the Sex and the City inspired TV show, Cashmere Mafia on ABC. In 2007, Empire magazine named her among the "100 Sexiest Movie Stars".^[7]

In 2008, after pitching an interest in being part of the hit new show Dirty Sexy Money, the producers immediately created a role for her as a series regular. She plays the role of Nola Lyons, a powerful attorney that faces Nick George (played by Peter Krause). ^[8]

Personal life

In a Jane interview, she indicated the possibility that she is bisexual. She is quoted as saying,

"I think people sometimes get the wrong impression when they're like, 'Oh, well, so-and-so was straight and then she was gay, and now she's straight again,' you know? But it's like, how many times do I have to kiss a woman before I'm gay? Everybody wants to label people. Sometimes you just fall in love with somebody, and you're really not thinking about what gender or whatever they happen to be. I think that if I happen to fall in love with a woman, everyone's going to make a big deal out of it. But if I happen to fall in love with a man, nobody cares."^[9][10]

With her parents' work ethic, Liu continued, "I'm always multitasking, doing 10 things at once". She is the aunt of Nelson Chang and Cindy Meng, Co-Founders of Alpha Science Learning Centers in Temple City, CA according to the Los Angeles Wave Newspaper September 2, 2007 issue. She speaks English, Chinese (Mandarin), Italian,^[7] Spanish, and a little Japanese, a language she studied in preparation for her role in Kill Bill.^[1] She also rock climbs, practices martial arts, skis, and plays the accordion.

Liu is also an artist in several media, and has had three gallery shows showcasing her collage, paintings, and photography.^[11] She started doing collage mixed media at 16 and then moved to photography and later painting.^[12] Lucy Liu had an art show in September and she donated her share of the profits to UNICEF.^[12][13] She also has another show in 2008 in Munich and has stated that she will also donate her share of the profits to UNICEF.^[12]

In 2001, Liu was the spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research and education. In 2005, Liu was appointed a U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador; in that capacity, she has traveled to Pakistan and Lesotho, among other countries.^[1] She also hosted an MTV documentary for the MTV EXIT campaign in 2007, produced to raise awareness of human trafficking in Asia. Early in 2006, Liu received an "Asian Excellence Award" for Visibility, since she is considered the most well-known and visible Asian American in the media today. She is also the first Asian American woman to host Saturday Night Live.

Liu has said about her background, "when you grow up Asian-American it’s difficult because you don’t know if you’re Asian or you’re American. You get confused... You need to recognize where your background is from. I think it’s important. Just for yourself. It makes you more whole. It does."^[1]

She lives with her brother and his wife in New York.^[12]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Liu

Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Profile

Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace (pronounced /æʃliːn hɔrɡən wɒlɪs/) (born 28 December 1978 in London) is an English glamour model, television personality and fashion designer. She gained fame in 2006, when she appeared on the UK's seventh series of the popular gameshow Big Brother, in which she finished third.

Early life

Horgan-Wallace's mother Sophia Horgan, a fashion designer, and her father Steve Wallace, a car dealer, split when she was three years old.^[1] She was raised by her mother in North London^[2] and moved schools several times due to clashes with fellow pupils.^[2] At the age of 16, Horgan-Wallace stopped living with her mother and stayed with friends before moving to a women's hostel.^[2][3] She was reunited with her father at the age of 18 after he managed to track her down.^[4]

It was reported that Horgan-Wallace had won a Prince's Trust grant to take a beauty therapy course at college, and that she had jobs in shoe shops and as a promotions girl.^[2] Her official biography states that she studied at the London College of Fashion and took part-time promotional jobs to help fund her education. In the summer of 2005, she spent £4,000 on breast implants, to further her career.^[5][6]

Big Brother

Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace rose to fame in the UK when she was selected as a contestant in the UK's game show, Big Brother, in 2006. She entered the Big Brother house on Day 12, and became known for her feuds with fellow contestants Nikki Grahame and Grace Adams-Short, and for being voted into "the house next door" by the public — a secret house, where she was forced to choose who, out of four new contestants, would become legitimate housemates.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]} Horgan-Wallace reached the final on day 93; she came third with 22% of the public vote.^[13] She was the highest placed female housemate of the series.^[14] It was reported that Horgan-Wallace's popularity shocked the show's producers, with tabloid sources suggesting that they had attempted to "engineer" the series' finalists, and did not expect the swing in public support for Aisleyne.^[15]

Modelling

Prior to appearing on Big Brother, Horgan-Wallace had worked as a glamour model. Since the series ended, she has done photo shoots with Nuts, Zoo and the Daily Star.^[16] In 2007, she shot her first calendar.^[17]

Television work

Since 2007, she has appeared in a number of episodes of Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe. She has also presented for shows such as T4. She appeared in BBC1's Test The Nation, on a team with several other Big Brother contestants.^[18] She also made a small appearance on The Charlotte Church Show.

She appeared in several episodes of the Red TV series Celebrity: Stars at Work, which aired in December 2007 and January 2008.^[19] In 2008, Horgan-Wallace signed a one series contract with Red TV to film a self titled, fly-on-the-wall documentary Aisleyne. She started filming in January 2008 and the first episode aired on 5 March 2008; subsequent episodes will follow every couple of weeks.^[20][21]

In June 2008, Horgan-Wallace made a guest appearance on a special edition of The Friday Night Project, which aired after the launch of Big Brother's ninth series.^[22] Her contributions to the show included a sketch which mocked her rivalry with former housemate Nikki Grahame.^[23]

In August 2008, she made a brief cameo appearance in The Kevin Bishop Show. Horgan-Wallace made a guest appearance in E4's horror, Dead Set for two episodes, the first and last, appearing as herself and as herself in a zombie form respectively.

Other work

After Big Brother, Aisleyne appeared as a guest DJ in nightclubs. She has also hosted a show for the online radio station, Invincible,^[24] been a guest commentator on BBC's Asian Network^[25] and made several guest appearances on Choice FM's 'Morning Vybe' show.^[18]

In 2006, she had a small part in the film Rollin' with the Nines.^[26][27]

She worked as an agony aunt for More magazine^[28] and wrote a weekly column for Reveal magazine covering Big Brother 8 as well as a daily blog on their website. She reprised this role for the programme's ninth series.^[29]

In September 2007, it was announced that she had taken control of her own career via her management company, Aisleyne Ltd, along with co-director Richard Skeels.

On 10 February 2008 Aisleyne released a fashion range named "Unique by Aisleyne". She worked with the "high-end" fashion distributors Unique Collections Ltd, to design and produce the outfits. A complementary swimwear range was launched a few weeks later.^[30]

It was announced on 24 April 2008, that Mainstream Publishing had bought the right to publish her autobiography, entitled Aisleyne: Surviving Guns, Gangs and Glamour. Aisleyne's management have stated on her official site it is due for release in spring 2009.^[31]

She has also revealed that she is in talks about a part in a new film and has plans to launch a promotions agency.^[32]

In October 2008, Aisleyne was reported to have met up with executives from MTV to discuss a new reality show featuring her, similar to former MTV shows, Totally Jodie Marsh and Kerry Katona:Crazy In Love. ^[33]

Philanthropy

Horgan-Wallace is a patron of Brain Tumour UK^[34] and is an ambassador for Club4Climate, an initiative based around parties in London's West End and elsewhere that aims to prevent climate change.^[35][36]
In 2007, Aisleyne completed the London 10 kilometre run to raise money for Brain Tumour UK, and she completed the same event on 6 July 2008.
She has been involved with the NHS Stop Smoking campaign in association with Cancer Research UK,^[37] and has given her support to No Smoking Day 2008^[38]. She also became involved in the "Put the Knives and Guns Down!" campaign encouraging teenagers to get off the streets and stop the rising number of British shootings and stabbings.

Personal life

She was reported as dating football player Jermain Defoe in April 2008,^[39] but denied it in a subsequent interview with the Daily Star.^[40] She was photographed with former World heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in May 2008, amid reports of them visiting a London nightclub.^[41] Aisleyne had previously described Tyson, who she first met at a restaurant opening in November 2005, as a "pussycat" and a "gentleman". In January 2009 it was reported that Tyson had proposed to her and she was considering her response. ^[42] She became friends with Charlie Brooker after appearing in his television series Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, and the two attended the 2007 Glastonbury Festival together, as documented by Brooker in his Guardian column.^[43] Aisleyne subsequently appeared in Brooker's zombie horror Dead Set. Reports in April, June and July 2008 revealed Horgan-Wallace to be a friend of the singer Amy Winehouse. She was photographed visiting Winehouse's Camden flat on a couple of occasions and more recently she was spotted out in Bow with Winehouse and three of her friends.^[44].

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisleyne_Horgan-Wallace

Nicole Scherzinger Profile

Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger^[1] (also known as Nicole Kea; born June 29, 1978) is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer, model, and occasional actress best known as the lead vocalist for the Pussycat Dolls.^[1] She took the surname Scherzinger when she was adopted by her stepfather.

Early life

Scherzinger was born in Honolulu to a Filipino father and an Hawaiian/Russian mother.^[2] Her mother Rosemary was eighteen at the time of Scherzinger's birth and lived in an inner city neighborhood and separated from her father when she was a baby. The family moved to Louisville, Kentucky when she was six years old,^[3][4] with her sister Ke'ala and her German-American stepfather Gary Scherzinger.^[4] She stated she had a "conservative Catholic" upbringing.^[5] Scherzinger began her life as a performer in Louisville, attending the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School and performing with Actors Theatre of Louisville.^[4] As a teenager, she was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair's Coca-Cola Talent Classic contest.^[6] Scherzinger majored in theater arts at Wright State University but put her studies on hold in 1999 to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New.^[7]

Early career

Scherzinger appeared on the second album by Days of the New, released in 1999. She also recorded two songs with Barry Drake's F.O.B, which were released in 2001. In 2001, Scherzinger competed in the premiere season of The WB's television show Popstars, on which she earned a spot in the all-girl pop group Eden's Crush. She became one of the main vocalists for the group. The group's 2001 single "Get Over Yourself (Goodbye)" peaked at number one in sales and hit the top ten on Billboard Hot 100. "Love This Way" was the second single chosen from the Popstars album; however, their record company, London-Sire Records, folded and the group eventually disbanded. Songwriter Kara DioGuardi contributed one track to the album, and later went on to co-write with Scherzinger for PCD, Doll Domination and Her Name Is Nicole.

In November 2007, Scherzinger spoke of her time in Eden's Crush

“

...It was hell... I was in a band with five other girls and every day was torture for me. We were on TV all the time and the atmosphere was awful.... Every day I was in that band I cried my eyes out. The band was meant to be fun and frivolous but the reality was that it was miserable.... I was too sensitive back then, but I got toughened up. I couldn't have gone into the Dolls without my experience in Crush.[8]

”

After the disbanding of Eden's Crush, Scherzinger made a few promotional solo appearances under the stage name of Nicole Kea, including covering "Breakfast in Bed" for the soundtrack to 50 First Dates in 2003. This track was produced by Nick Hexum who was her boyfriend for three years.^[9]

Scherzinger worked with Yoshiki of Japanese rock band X Japan on in his Violet UK project. She sang the English version of "I'll Be Your Love" live with the Tokyo Symphonic Orchestra. The track also appeared on the 2003 Various Artists album Exposition of Global Harmony.

Pussycat Dolls

Main article: Pussycat Dolls

In May 2003, Scherzinger joined the Pussycat Dolls burlesque troupe, who were being re-cast as recording artists. She had first seen them performing on The Late Show with David Letterman in November 2002, where Carmen Electra sang "Big Spender" from the Bob Fosse musical Sweet Charity. In 2006, Scherzinger said "It caught my eye because I’d played Velma Kelly in [Fosse's] Chicago in college."^[10] The Pussycat Dolls now have worldwide status as a popular singing group, with "Don't Cha", "Buttons", "Stickwitu" and "When I Grow Up" as Top 10 hits in the U.S.. The album PCD went double-platinum in 2006. Scherzinger sang nearly all lead vocals on the album, with Carmit Bachar and Melody Thornton also contributing.

Scherzinger on stage with the Pussycat Dolls

Scherzinger is the only group member with songwriting credits on PCD; she co-wrote "I Don't Need a Man" with Kara DioGuardi and producer Rich Harrison, and co-wrote "Buttons" with producer Sean Garrett. Another collaboration with DioGuardi, "Flirt", became a B-side to "Stickwitu" and a bonus track on PCD.

In 2006, Scherzinger toured with the Pussycat Dolls for their album promotion. It was revealed in 2006 that the Dolls are salaried employees of Interscope Records, giving the label a high level of control over the group's finances and business decisions.

She was ranked at number 22 on Maxim's Hot 100 in 2006 and 21 in 2007.^[11]

Scherzinger appeared on the March 2008 cover of Men's Fitness magazine.^[12] She was called the lead or "Queen Doll". As with PCD, Scherzinger is the only group member to have songwriting credits on the second Dolls' album Doll Domination.

Solo career

Following the popularity of "Don't Cha" and the continuing rise of the Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger recorded a series of duets or "guest appearances", predominantly with male vocalists. In 2005, she appeared on recordings by Shaggy, Vittorio Grigolo, and Will Smith.

2006-2007

In 2006 she sang on Avant's single "Lie About Us" , and P.Diddy's hit "Come to Me" (which she also co-wrote). Other appearances are listed in her discography.

Scherzinger worked on her debut album from 2006-2007 with record producers including will.i.am, Timbaland, Kara DioGuardi, and Bryan-Michael Cox. Scherzinger announced in a March 17, 2007 interview that the album would be called "Her Name is Nicole"; It was originally slated for a 2007 release, a full tracklisting was posted at commercial sites,^[13] and four singles were released but the album was put on hold in late 2007/early 2008.

Her first solo single, "Whatever U Like", featuring rapper T.I., was released in July 2007. The song was unsuccessful commercially and with critics, and it was soon announced that "Baby Love" (released September 2007) would replace "Whatever U Like" as the "lead single" from the album. Media reports commented on the fact that both Interscope's and Scherzinger's official websites started in September 2007 to refer to "Baby Love" as her first single.^[14] After both these singles were unsuccessful in North America ("Baby Love" charted well in Europe and Brazil however), a poll was placed on Scherzinger's website, asking fans to vote for the third single. Choices included: "Supervillain", "Happily Never After", "Who's Gonna Love You", and "Power's Out". On November 28 the poll was updated and the songs "Power's Out" and "Supervillain" were removed and replaced with "Puakenikeni" and "Physical". It was announced via the website on December 10 that "Puakenikeni" was to be the next official single to be taken from the album, subsequently "Supervillain" and "Puakenikeni" were both released as iTunes downloads only.^[15][16] As with Scherzinger's earlier solo singles, they failed to make any impact on the U.S. charts. Following this, Interscope announced that Scherzinger's album would be put on hold, and she said she would continue to record new tracks.

2008

In April 2008, Scherzinger recorded a cover version of "Rio" by Duran Duran for an advertising campaign for Unilever's Caress brand of body wash. A commercial video was released,^[17] and the single was released via download only, after May 2008.^[18] In 2008, in support of Barack Obama, she was one of many musicians to contribute to a track by will.i.am called "Yes We Can". Also on September 5, 2008, Scherzinger joined an all-star cast to perform the charity song "Just Stand Up" on live TV. This is currently Scherzinger's last performance as a solo artist before embarking on the Pussycat Dolls new World Tour.

Speaking about the delayed release of her solo album, in September 2008 Scherzinger said "Despite what other people might write, it was my decision, ultimately. I actually put some of my solo songs on the Pussycat Dolls' new album Doll Domination. Everything is all about timing. I believe it will come out next year, and it will be able to coexist wonderfully with the Dolls' album. It's completely separate from what you've heard with "Baby Love" and "Whatever U Like," and I'm still working on it — that's what happens when you're a perfectionist."^[19]

In October 2008, she was invited to promote Clear Shampoo and Conditioner through a commercial, succeeding Rain who also endorsed Clear Shampoo and Conditioner. Both commercials were reportedly aired throughout Southeast Asia. In 2008, she also had done a commercial with Lebron James in a sneaker commercial. In 2006 She had also made a "Bench Body" (a clothing brand) commercial in the Philippines which was promoting underwear for "Bench Body".

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Scherzinger

Adriana Lima Profile

Adriana Francesca Lima (born June 12, 1981^[3]) is a Brazilian model best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel since 2000 and a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics. At age 15, Lima finished first place in Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" competition and took second place the following year in the Ford "Supermodel of the World" competition before signing with Elite Model Management in New York City.
Lima was born in the northeastern coastal city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil on June 12, 1981. Her father, from whom she was estranged for most of her life, is Nelson Torres, and her mother, Maria da Graça Lima, is a social worker. Lima revealed that her father walked out on her family when she was six months old, but has been making recent attempts to reconcile.^[4] Lima told reporters at the Hollywood Walk of Fame that although she is her mother's only child, she has two half brothers, aged 7 and 11 in 2007, from her father's second marriage. Coming from a poor family, her first time leaving her country and first time on a plane was when she was 15.^[5] She was raised mainly by her mother and her grandmother.

Modeling

Lima never thought about being a model, although she had won many beauty pageants in elementary school.^[6] However, she had a friend at school who wanted to enter a modeling contest and didn't want to enter alone, so Lima entered with her. Both sent in pictures, and the contest sponsor soon asked Lima to come out for the competition.^[7] Soon after, at the age of 15, she entered and finished in first place in Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" model search. She subsequently entered the 1996 Ford "Supermodel of the World" contest and finished in second place.^[8] Three years later, Lima moved to New York City and signed with Elite Model Management. After acquiring representation, Lima's modeling portfolio quickly began to expand, and she appeared in numerous international editions of Vogue and Marie Claire. As a runway model, she has walked the catwalks for designers such as Vera Wang, Christian Lacroix, Emanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Ralph Lauren and Valentino, among others. Lima became a GUESS? girl in 2000, appearing in that year's fall ad campaign. She also appeared in the book A Second Decade of Guess? Images.^[9]

Lima continued to build upon her portfolio, doing more print work for Maybelline, with whom she signed as a spokesmodel in 2003^[10][11] and continues to work with, later appearing in the company's first calendar, along with Kemp Muhl, Jessica White, Julia Stegner, and Anna Wang.^[12] The calendar is a limited edition release for the 2009 year. Lima has also worked for notable fashion brands bebe, Mossimo, Armani, Bulgari, De Beers, FCUK, Intimissimi, Keds, Swatch, Versace, and BCBG.^[13] She also appeared on the covers and in the editorials of other fashion magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, GQ, Arena, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and many more.^[14] Her April 2006 GQ cover was the highest-selling issue that magazine for the year.^[15] She also appeared in the 2005 Pirelli Calendar^[9] and became the face of Italy's cell phone carrier, Telecom Italia Mobile, a move that earned her the nickname, "the Catherine Zeta-Jones of Italy."^[16]

In February 2008, she was featured on the cover of Esquire, re-creating the classic 1966 Angie Dickinson cover on Esquire's 75th anniversary along with fellow Victoria's Secret Angels Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolina Kurkova, Izabel Goulart and Selita Ebanks. She appeared only in shoes, diamonds and gloves for the November 2007 issue of Vanity Fair celebrating 20 years of supermodels with her fellow Angels.^[17] Lima was chosen to be a part of People magazine's 100 most beautiful people in the world list, sharing that space with the Angels, with whom she also received a star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" prior to the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. In February 2008, she was chosen to be the face of Mexico's Liverpool department store chain and launched the partnership with a press conference, runway show, and summer campaign.

In 2007, she ranked as the world's fourth highest paid model.^{[15][16][18][19]}

Lima is probably best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. Her first fashion show for the company came in 1999, and since being contracted as an Angel in 2000, she has appeared on subsequent shows ever since, opening the show in 2003, 2007, and 2008, in which she also closed the opening segment. Lima has appeared on several television ads for the brand, including the praised and criticized^[20][21] "Angel in Venice" commercial of 2003 with Bob Dylan and her solo Victoria's Secret's Super Bowl XLII ad, the single most-seen ad of the game, watched by 103.7 million viewers.^[22] 2008 continued for Lima with hosting the What Is Sexy? program for the E! Entertainment Network and a July tour for the BioFit Uplift Bra launch, with stops in Long Island, Boston, and Miami Beach. She was also featured in November's Miracle Bra relaunch.^[23] Topping the year off, Lima wore the "Fantasy Bra" for the 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Acting

Lima's first acting role was the wife, alongside Mickey Rourke and Forest Whitaker, in The Follow (2001), a short film in BMW's series The Hire, starring Clive Owen. She also appeared with her fellow Angels in a guest spot playing herself in the series How I Met Your Mother in November 2007.

In 2008, Lima appeared on the American television series Ugly Betty, where she played herself and made friends with the series' title character, played by America Ferrera. According to her publicist, Liza Anderson, "Adriana has always been a huge fan of Ugly Betty and is thrilled for the opportunity to make a guest star appearance."^[24]

Personal life

In addition to her native Portuguese, Lima speaks English, French, and a bit of Italian. Lima was shy around boys when she was younger, not receiving her first kiss until she was 17 years old. They were watching a movie during the kiss. Afterwards, he went directly to her mother to ask if he could marry her.^[25] In an interview with GQ in the April 2006 issue, Lima told the magazine that she is a devout Catholic who attends church every Sunday and is a virgin. "Sex is for after marriage," she explained. "They [men] have to respect that this is my choice. If there's no respect, that means they don't want me."^[26] US GQ dubbed her as "The World's Most Voluptuous Virgin."^[27] When she was younger, she studied to become a nun and often takes a Bible backstage to read.^[28]

She has been romantically linked to musician/singer Lenny Kravitz,^[27] Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein,^[19] and Denny of Timbalada. She is currently engaged to Serbian basketball player Marko Jarić.^[29] They will wed in Brazil in June of 2009.^[30]

Lima enjoys listening to classical music; she cites Beethoven as her favorite composer^[31] and the piano sonata as her favorite sound.^[32] She's often mentioned an interest in becoming a concert pianist if she wasn't modeling.^{[33][not in citation given]} She cites Sophia Loren as a favorite actress.^[34]

Since her rise to fame, Lima is often cited by popular media as one of the world's sexiest women. She ranked 7th on FHM "100 Sexiest Women 2007"^[35] On June 13, 2007, she was awarded as "Hottest Girl on the Planet" at the first Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards but the category was not mentioned in the actual show. Lima was also voted on the Maxim "Hot 100" 2007 at the #53 spot. She was voted #1 as the Most Desirable Woman in 2005 by visitors of the men's lifestyle website, Askmen.com (she placed 4th in 2006 and 2007, 10th in 2008, and 19th in 2009). Lima is also listed in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records as the Youngest Model on Forbes Celebrity 100 List.^{[citation needed]} As of November 2008, Models.com featured her at No.1 on the list of the hottest models today.^[36]
Lima does charitable work helping with an orphanage, "Caminhos da Luz" (Ways of Light), located in her hometown. She helps with construction to expand the orphanage, and buys clothes for poor children in^[37] Salvador, Bahia.^[38] She also stands for animal rights.^[8] She appeared on the Turkish version of Deal or No Deal where her prize money went to a hospital in Istanbul for Children fighting leukemia .<sup>[citation needed]



Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriana_Lima</sup>

Indah Kalalo enjoys comedy role film

JAKARTA: Actress and model Indah Kalalo says she enjoyed playing the role of a stripper in her latest movie, Asoy Geboy.

"I like my role in the movie. I had no difficulties because basically, I like dancing," Indah was quoted as saying by Okezone.com on Monday.

In the adult comedy Asoy Geboy, Indah plays Lolyta, a stripper with whom Didi (played by Raffi Ahmad), a playboy, is infatuated.

The former presenter said it was her first major role in a movie and also her first in comedy.

"This is a big change for me. Not like my previous movies, which were relatively serious, this is a comedy. It's a challenge for me," said the 28-year-old.

Indah first hit the big screen in 2005 when she starred in Belahan Jiwa (Sweetheart) directed by Sekar Ayu Asmara, who also cast Indah in his 2006 film Pesan Dari Surga (Message From Heaven).

Asoy Geboy, directed by Arie Aziz, is scheduled for release in cinemas on Aug. 28. -- JP

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/27/indah-kalalo-enjoys-comedy-role.html

ACTRESS RAHMA AZHARI TOPLESS PICTURES LEAKED

Indonesia’s most popular celebrity family has a little topless skank on their hands. Indonesian actress Rahma Azhari’s topless pictures were leaked causing a scandal… Although she denied they are her topless photos, we can all see it’s her.

People in Indonesia are convince the photos are authentic. She is known simply as “Rahma”, she is from the rich and powerful Indonesian Azhari family.

No matter what she says, these topless photos can’t be fake. For one, there are just too many topless pictures from all different angles and the mole on her neck is a dead giveaway. Just compare them to her other revealing photos that can be found all over the web!

Rahma Azhari is no stranger to scandals. This is because after a long investigation since her ex filed for divorce he now knows the result of Rahma’s daughter’s DNA test finally. Since 2005, Rauf, Rahma’s ex husband found that Rahma’s child’s real father is not him but rather is suspected to be an American who came to Indonesia for a job contract before returning to America.

One thing for sure, one of the yankees from USA is Rahma’s baby’s father. As the DNA test has proved.

Heri Subagyo, Rauf’s lawyer also explained that Rauf has already talked about it to the American by phone, and he was pretty surprised with it, because he never had any serious relationship with Rahma, but only having fun with her.

Now the American too doesn’t want to have anything to do with Rahma or his kid, and will never be back to Indonesia, because his contract in the mining industry already completed 3 years ago.

Syahidah Rahma Azhari (born September 17, 1981 in Jakarta, Indonesia) is an Indonesian actress, model and designer. She is one of eight siblings of celebrities’ from the Azhari family. The family is known for sensation and controversy.

Members of the famous family include celebrities like Ayu Azhari, Sarah Azhari and Ibra Azhari.


Source : http://sjsandteam.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/actress-rahmas-topless-pictures-leaked/

Rahma Azhari Actress

Rahma Azhari or complete him Rahma Syahidah Azhari, was born on September 17 1981, was known as the model star and the film actress. He was one of the eight relatives of the 'family selebritis' Azhari, that uptil now was known was full of the sensation and the controversy. In his history the section's woman had contained the embryo who at that time was not known by his father, because at that time Rahma was indeed known by the public did not yet marry. His change then finally had gone in the place of the 'exile', that far from the range infortaiment. The emergence came back the mother from Oceans Camilla this, was followed afterwards his marriage with a businessman Alfay Rauf on June 10 2003.

Nevertheless their marriage at the end of the problem, since the father Rauf, Nurman Diah menggungkapkan that the child who was born by Rahma at that time, not from the marriage with his child.

In the middle of the condition for his family, Rahma relations and Rauf increasingly trouble after being involved in the case of the dispute in Blowfish, Menara Jamsostek, on Sunday (4/11) struck 02,30 dawns. Rahma admitted to being overwhelmed by seven friends of his husband. As a result Rahma must be treated in the hospital.



Source : http://gadis-indonesia.blogspot.com/2008/02/rahma-azhari-model-star-and-film.html

Eva Longoria Parker Profile

Eva Jacqueline Longoria Parker (born March 15, 1975) is an American Golden Globe-nominated and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning film and television actress. She rose to fame by playing Isabella Braña Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She now plays Gabrielle Solis in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. She has also become a nationally recognized model after appearing in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching #14 in the FHM "Sexiest Women 2008" poll.[2] Longoria is also known for her relationship with NBA guard Tony Parker, whom she married in 2007.

Early life

Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, the daughter of Mexican-American parents, Enrique Longoria, Jr. (born in Rachal, Brooks County, Texas) and Ella Eva Mireles (married in Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas). Eva's ancestry traces to Southern Mexican immigrants who immigrated to the USA.^[3]

She is the youngest of four daughters, her sisters being Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette, and Esmeralda Josephina.^[4] The family lived and worked on farmland that had been handed down to them from past generations, but they often had very little money; Enrique and Ella struggled for many years to give their children a decent upbringing. Longoria showed viewers an introspect into the hardship she faced in her formative years growing up poor on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006; she took cameras on location to the family farm and showed how spartan they were still living. Longoria admitted that only when she made it in show business did things begin to look better for them financially. In an interview with Dateline's Stone Phillips, Longoria also revealed the snubbing she received from her siblings. She said "I grew up as the ugly duckling. They used to call me 'la prieta fea,' which means 'the ugly dark one.'"^[5]

Longoria originally wanted to be a fashion model and sent in photos to a modelling agency but was declined because of her height. Longoria attended Marvin P. Baker Middle School and later Roy Miller High School; she subsequently received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A&M University-Kingsville. During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in 1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent.^[4]

Career

Longoria with husband Tony Parker at the 2008 Emmy Awards

Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest-starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003. People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dick Wolf revival of Dragnet. Although it lasted only two seasons, the show gave Longoria another leading star credit to her name. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions - Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film, and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell. In 2004, Longoria landed a role that elevated her to the A-List. She starred as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As the show became an overnight sensation, Longoria's career was well and truly launched. But she has never considered her career to have jumped off so suddenly: "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years."^[6]

Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer. In 2005, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars. Even though neither Longoria nor any of the rest of the cast won, she was awarded the ALMA Award and named entertainer of the year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which was her first major role in a theatrical movie. In 2006 she played the character Sylvia in Harsh Times starring Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale.

Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful and was listed #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. She was ranked #9 in the magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list.^[7] In honor of Maxim's 100th issue in 2006, Longoria was featured on a 75-by-110-foot vinyl mesh replica of its January 2005 cover located in the Las Vegas desert.^[8] It has been rumored that she will play Janet Van Dyne aka The Wasp in the upcoming Avengers film due to the fact that she has been spotted reading core Avengers titles such as The New Avengers annual and Marvel Adventures: Avengers.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Also, she is being considered to portray Mariah Carey in an upcoming Broadway show which is about the American pop singer. Leona Lewis is Carey's first choice. Vanessa Hudgens and Longoria Parker are also being considered if Lewis is not taking the job.^[13]

Endorsements

In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport. She appeared in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. The actress also holds model contracts with L’Oreal and Hanes, New York & Co.^[14]

She also has started a contract with Magnum Ice-Cream^[15] and with L'Oréal.^[16] She is also part of Microsoft's "I'm A PC" ad campaign.^[17]

Personal life

Longoria was married to General Hospital star Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004.^[18]

On November 30, 2006, she became engaged to Spurs point guard Tony Parker.^[19] The couple were officially married on July 7, 2007, because French law requires couples who marry to make their vows official at a city hall. They had their lavish church wedding on July 7, 2007, in Paris.^[20] Their marriage had its first ordeal when the French model Alexandra Paressant claimed to have had an affair with Parker.^[21]

In 2008, Longoria opened a restaurant in Los Angeles called Beso, which translates to "kiss" in Spanish.^[22]

Longoria owns a house in Los Angeles' Hollywood Dell neighborhood that she purchased in 2006 for $3.6 million.^[23]

Longoria also owns a house in the Velano Country Club in Chino Hills, California.

Charity work

In 2006, Longoria founded Eva's Heroes, a charity which helps developmentally disabled children.^[24] She is the national spokesperson for PADRES Contra El Cancer.^[25] She signed shoes for the Spirit of Women Red Shoe Celebrity Auction. Longoria also supports the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Stroke Association, Project HOME and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[26]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Longoria

Julia Roberts Profile

Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American film actress and former fashion model. She became well known during the early 1990s after starring in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman opposite Richard Gere, which grossed $463 million worldwide. She won the Best Actress Academy Award in 2000 for her critically acclaimed turn as the title character in Erin Brockovich and earned Oscar nominations as Best Supporting Actress for Steel Magnolias (1989) and Best Actress for Pretty Woman (1990). Her films, which also include romantic comedies such as My Best Friend's Wedding, Mystic Pizza, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, and crime films such as The Pelican Brief and Ocean's Eleven, have collectively earned box office receipts of over $2 billion, making her the most successful actress in terms of box office receipts.^[2]

Roberts had become one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, topping the Hollywood Reporter's annual "power list" of top-earning female stars from 2002 to 2005, until 2006, when Nicole Kidman won the top spot. Her fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was $300,000; in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile. As of 2007, Roberts's net worth was estimated to be $140 million.^[3]

Roberts was the first actress to appear on the cover of Vogue and the first woman to land the cover of GQ. She has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2001 Ladies Home Journal ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in America, beating out then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and first lady Laura Bush.^[4] Roberts has a production company called Red Om Films, formerly Shoelace Productions ("Moder" spelled backwards, after her husband's last name).

Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia at Crawford Long Hospital. Her father, Walter Thomas Roberts, was a vacuum cleaner salesman, and her Minneapolis, Minnesota-born mother, Betty Lou Motes (née Bredemus), was a one-time church secretary and real estate agent. Her parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces and later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia off Juniper Street in Midtown; the two divorced in 1971.^[5] Her mother later married Michael Motes and had another daughter, named Nancy Motes who was born in 1976. Roberts's father died of cancer when she was ten. Her older brother and sister, Eric Roberts (from whom she was once estranged but reconciled since 2004) and Lisa Roberts Gillan, are also actors.

Roberts moved to Smyrna, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) in 1972, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School and Campbell High School. ^[6] She played clarinet in the band. Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but soon after graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School,^[7] she headed to New York to join her sister Lisa Roberts Gillan and pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click modeling agency and enrolled in acting classes. She reverted to her original name "Julia Roberts" when she discovered that a "Julie Roberts" was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild. Her niece, Emma Roberts, whom Julia used to take to movie sets when she was a young girl, has joined her father and aunts in the acting business.

Career

1986–1989

Roberts made her film debut playing a supporting role opposite her brother, Eric, in Blood Red (she has just two words of dialogue), which, although filmed in 1987 was not released until 1989 (She was just about to have her 19th birthday during the filming). Her first television appearance was as a juvenile rape victim in the initial season of the series Crime Story with Dennis Farina, in the episode titled "The Survivor", broadcast on February 13, 1987. She also once appeared on Sesame Street opposite the character Elmo, demonstrating her ability to change emotions. Roberts first caught the attention of moviegoers with her performance in the independent film Mystic Pizza in 1988; that same year, she had a role in the fourth season finale of Miami Vice. The following year, she was featured in Steel Magnolias as a young bride battling diabetes and garnered her first Oscar nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) for her performance.

1990–2000

Roberts become known to worldwide audiences when she co-starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story Pretty Woman in 1990. Roberts won the role after the first two choices for the part, Molly Ringwald and Meg Ryan both turned it down. The role also earned her a second Oscar nod, this time as Best Actress. Her next box office success was the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, playing a battered wife who escapes her demented husband, Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. She played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's Hook in 1991, and also played a Nurse in the 1991 film Dying Young; which was followed by a two-year hiatus, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a People magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?"

In 1993, she co-starred with Denzel Washington in the successful The Pelican Brief, based on the John Grisham novel. She also starred alongside Liam Neeson in the 1996 film Michael Collins. Over the next few years, she starred in a series of films that were critical and commercial failures, primarily because she was cast in roles that strayed too far from her film persona, such as Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996) for which she earned a Razzie Worst Actress nomination. She starred with Hugh Grant in the 1999 film Notting Hill. That same year, she also starred in Runaway Bride, the second film with the Julia Roberts-Richard Gere duo. Roberts was a guest star on the Law & Order television series in an episode broadcast on May 5, 1999 entitled "Empire", with series regular Benjamin Bratt (at that time her boyfriend). Also in 1999, she starred in the critically panned film Stepmom alongside Susan Sarandon.

2001–2005

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Roberts, cast of Ocean's Eleven along with director Steven Soderbergh in December 2001

In 2001, Roberts received the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, who helped wage a successful lawsuit against energy giant Pacific Gas & Electric. While presenting the Best Actor Award to Denzel Washington the following year, she made a gaffe, saying she was glad that Tom Conti wasn't there. She meant the conductor Bill Conti, who had tried to hasten the conclusion of her Oscar speech the previous year, but instead named the Scottish actor.^[8] Roberts would team up with Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh for three more films: Ocean's Eleven (2001), Full Frontal (2002), and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Later in 2001 she starred in the road gangster comedy The Mexican giving her a chance to work with long time friend Brad Pitt. In 2005, she was featured in the music video for the hit single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band.

2006–present

Roberts's two films released in 2006, The Ant Bully and Charlotte's Web, were both animated features for which she provided only voice acting. Her next film was Charlie Wilson's War, with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols and based on the book by former CBS journalist George Crile; it was released on December 21, 2007. Fireflies in the Garden, also starring Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe is currently in post-production, with release set for 2009. It has also been announced that Roberts will star in The Friday Night Knitting Club, based on the novel of the same name by Kate Jacobs. Her niece, Emma Roberts, is said to be considered for the role of her daughter.

Broadway debut

Roberts made her Broadway debut on April 19, 2006 as Nan in a revival of Richard Greenberg's 1997 play Three Days of Rain opposite Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Although the play grossed nearly US$1 million dollars in ticket sales during its first week and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, most critics heavily criticized Roberts' performance. The New York Times' critic Ben Brantly, a self-proclaimed 'Juliaholic,' described her as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the first act) [and] only glancingly acquainted with the two characters she plays." Brantley also criticized the production of “Greenberg's slender, elegant play,” writing that “it's almost impossible to discern its artistic virtues from this wooden and splintered interpretation, directed by Joe Mantello.” Three Days of Rain received two Tony Award nominations in stage design categories, but took home neither prize. Roberts did, however, receive a Broadway.com audience award (a minor theatrical prize) for her performance.

American Girl Films

Julia Roberts has brought to life some of the books from American Girl as movies and serves as Executive Producer, along with her sister Lisa. The company's product lines and services are focused on pre-teen-girl characters from various periods of American history, who are embodied as dolls and featured in narratives including books and movies. Its flagship line is a collection of historical 18-inch dolls that have books and accessories. Currently Julia Roberts has produced four movies.^[9]

Directors

Directors Robert Altman, Mike Nichols, Joel Schumacher, Steven Soderbergh, and Garry Marshall have repeatedly cast Roberts in their films. But Steven Spielberg, after directing her in Hook (1991) for which she earned a Razzie Worst Supporting Actress nomination, never worked with her again. In a 1993 interview with Barbara Walters, Roberts said that she was confused by Spielberg's recollection of working with her, as she only has positive memories of working on his film.^[10] In 1993, The New York Times^[11]wrote that Herbert Ross, the director of Steel Magnolias, criticized that Julia's acting was one-dimensional, despite the fact that she received her first Academy Award nomination for it. Although, Roberts eventually called for a truce, the two never worked together again.

Influence

As of February 2007, Roberts's films have grossed $2,204,631,930 at the American box office making her the biggest female movie star in history and achieving this feat with only 31 films to her name.^[12] She was also placed at the pinnacle of the Ulmer Scale, a comprehensive guide to the global star power of actors and directors in independent and studio films created by James Ulmer, ahead of such other luminaries as Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. This was partly owing to her ability to attract filmgoers solely on the basis of her name's appearance above the title and without the support of a male co-star, something few other actresses have been able to do.

Personal life

Roberts with Private First Class Sowell at Incirlik hospital, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, December 7, 2001

Relationships

Roberts's personal life has often been in the spotlight. She has had widely reported romantic relationships with numerous famous men, including Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott, Kiefer Sutherland, Lyle Lovett, Matthew Perry, and Benjamin Bratt. She was briefly engaged to McDermott, her Steel Magnolias co-star. She met Sutherland in 1990, when he was her co-star in Flatliners; he left his wife and children to move in with Roberts. In August 1990, Roberts and Sutherland announced their engagement, with an elaborate studio-planned wedding scheduled for June 14, 1991. Roberts broke the engagement three days before the wedding when she discovered Sutherland had been meeting with a stripper named Amanda Rice. Roberts subsequently went to Ireland with Jason Patric, a friend of Sutherland's. On June 27, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett; the couple had met only three weeks earlier. The wedding took place on 72-hours' notice and was held in Marion, Indiana, near where Lovett was appearing on tour with his band. Less than two years later, in March 1995, the couple separated, and subsequently divorced.

In 1998, Roberts began dating Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt, who was her escort for the March 25, 2001 Academy Awards ceremony at which she won her Oscar. Three months later, in June 2001, Roberts and Bratt announced that they were no longer a couple. "It's come to a kind and tenderhearted end," she said of their relationship.^[13]Roberts met her current husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, on the set of her movie The Mexican in 2000 and they began an affair. Though at the time, Moder was married to Vera Steinberg Moder, he filed for divorce a little over a year later, and after it was finalized, he and Roberts wed on Fourth of July 2002, at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico.^[14]On November 28, 2004, they became the parents of fraternal twins, daughter Hazel Patricia and son Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter. Their third child, son Henry Daniel Moder, was born on June 18, 2007 in Los Angeles.^[15][16]

Charities

Roberts has given her time and resources to UNICEF as well as to other charitable organizations. In Spring 1995, Roberts, an enthusiastic supporter of UNICEF, asked if she could meet some of the relief agency's neediest recipients. On May 10, she arrived in Port-au-Prince, as she said, "to educate myself". The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said. UNICEF officials hoped that her six-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10 million in aid was sought at the time^{[citation needed]}.

In 2000, Roberts narrated Silent Angels, a documentary about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, which was shot in Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York. The documentary was designed to help raise public awareness about the disease. In July 2006, Earth Biofuels announced Roberts as a spokeswoman for the company and as chair of the company's newly formed Advisory Board promoting the use of renewable fuels...

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Roberts

Scarlett Johansson Profile

Scarlett I. Johansson^[1] (born November 22, 1984) is an actress and singer of American and Danish citizenship.^[2] Johansson rose to fame with her role in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and subsequently gained critical acclaim for her roles in Ghost World, Lost in Translation (for which she won a BAFTA), and Girl with a Pearl Earring, the latter two earning her Golden Globe Award nominations in 2003.

On May 20, 2008, Johansson debuted as a vocalist on her first album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, with cover versions of Tom Waits songs.

Johansson was born in New York City. Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish-born architect, and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family from the Bronx.^[3][4][5][6] Johansson's parents met in Denmark, where her mother lived with Johansson's maternal grandmother, Dorothy, a former bookkeeper and schoolteacher.^[7] Johansson has an older sister, Vanessa, who is also an actress; an older brother, Adrian; a twin brother, Hunter, (whose only film, Manny & Lo starred Scarlett) ^[8]; and a half-brother, Christian, from her father's re-marriage.

Johansson grew up in a household with "little money"^[5] with a mother who was a "film buff".^[9] Johansson began her theater training by attending and graduating from Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2002. She attended P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village for elementary school.

Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother began taking her to auditions.^[5] She made her film debut in 1994's North. After appearing in several films during the late 1990s, including a very brief appearance in the Mandy Moore video for her single "Candy", Johansson garnered praise and widespread attention for her performance in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and 2001's Ghost World.

She won the "Upstream Prize" for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in 2003's Lost in Translation. The same year, she was nominated for two Best Actress awards at the Golden Globes, one for drama (Girl with a Pearl Earring) and one for comedy (Lost in Translation). She was also nominated for Best Actress for both films at the BAFTAs, and won Best Actress for Lost in Translation.

Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2004.^[10] In the same year, she starred in the films The Perfect Score, In Good Company and A Love Song for Bobby Long, the last of which earned her a third Golden Globe Award nomination. Johansson was involved for a short time with the film Mission: Impossible III, but was not officially cast because of scheduling conflicts, although a falling out with the film's star, Tom Cruise, had been both widely reported and publicly denied.^[11] She was replaced by Keri Russell.

In July 2005, Johansson starred with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay's The Island, making her debut as a female lead in a mainstream action film. In the same year, she starred in the Woody Allen-directed drama Match Point, which opened in December. Johansson received her fourth Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the role, but lost to Rachel Weisz.

Johansson's next film, Scoop, another collaboration with Allen, was released on July 28, 2006. The same year, she appeared in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia, a film noir shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson has noted that she was a De Palma fan and had wanted to work with him on the film, even though she thought that she was "physically wrong" for the part.^[12] Her reviews were mixed: CNN.com noted that Johansson "takes to the pulpy period atmosphere as if it were oxygen,"^[13] whereas the Kalamazoo Gazette referred to Johansson as "miscast."^[14]

On January 14, 2006, Johansson hosted Saturday Night Live. Also in 2006, Johansson starred in a short film directed by Bennett Miller and set to Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down...", released to promote Dylan's album, Modern Times.^[15] Johansson also appeared in the Christopher Nolan thriller The Prestige, which opened on October 20, 2006. She made a return appearance on Saturday Night Live on April 21, 2007, during which she dueted with Andy Samberg for a version of Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About."

Johansson at the film set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2007

Johansson next appeared in 2007's The Nanny Diaries, starring alongside Laura Linney, and 2008's The Other Boleyn Girl, opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana.^[16] She has filmed her third Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, in Spain.^[17]

Johansson played femme fatale Silken Floss in Frank Miller's noir comedy adaptation of Will Eisner's comic The Spirit. The film was released in US theaters on December 25th, 2008. Johansson will also portray Mary, Queen of Scots in a film scheduled to begin production in March 2008,^[18][19] and appear as a pilates instructor in He's Just Not That Into You.

[edit] Music career

In 2005, Johansson was considered for the role of Maria^[20] in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End revival of The Sound of Music, though the role ultimately went to newcomer Connie Fisher after she won BBC's talent show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?^[21] Released May 8, 2006, Johansson sang the track "Summertime" for Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars, a non-profit collection of songs recorded by Hollywood actors. She also performed with The Jesus And Mary Chain for a special Coachella Reunion Show in Indio, California in April 2007.^[22]

In 2007, she appeared as the leading lady in Justin Timberlake's music video for "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around," nominated in August 2007 for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.^[23] The filming of the video took place in Los Angeles.^[24] The video sparked rumours of a romance between Johansson and Timberlake.^[25]

In the summer of 2007, Johansson spent about a month in Maurice, Louisiana recording an album at Dockside Studio, a rural 12-acre (49,000 m²) complex. The album consists of one original song and ten cover versions of Tom Waits songs.^[26][9] It was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and features David Bowie, members from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs^[27][28] and Celebration.^[29][30] The record, entitled Anywhere I Lay My Head was released on May 20, 2008, through Atco/Rhino Records,^[31][32] amid a negative "critical consensus, stretching from comments on Gawker.com to the pages of The New York Times."^[33][34] Reviews of the album were mixed to somewhat positive.^[35] Criticisms include her sub-par Ann Wilson-style vocal abilities and the perceived failure to add a new dimension to the well-established classics she chose to cover. Conversely, some critics found it to be surprisingly alluring,^[36] brave in its eccentric selection,^[37] and even brilliant.^[38] The album was named the '23rd best album of 2008' by NME.^[39] Of her album, what Johansson had to say was, “I had this golden opportunity to record and thought I would do maybe an album of standards, because I’m not a songwriter. I’m a vocalist.” ^[40] Johansson said for her recording she "wanted to have space and [she] wanted to be in a remote place where all of us could just be ourselves and not worry about anyone trying to listen in or get in on that." ^[41] Johansson said in an interview that she started listening to Tom Waits when she was 11 or 12. ^[42] Of Tom Waits, Johansson said in an interview, "his melodies are so beautiful, his voice is so distinct and I had my own way of doing Tom Waits songs." ^[43]

In December 2008, MTV reported Johansson plans to follow-up Anywhere I Lay My Head with an album of all original music, telling MTV, “I don’t think I’d do covers, so it’d be a project that I have to dedicate myself to. I feel like that’s something for the future.”^[44]

In January 2009 it was announced that Johansson had covered Jeff Buckley's Last Goodbye for the soundtrack of He's Just Not That Into You. ^[45]

Johansson does not discuss her personal life with the press, saying "it's nice to have everybody not know your business." This has not stopped Johansson from sharing "select" opinions and personal details.^[46] Johansson's ex-boyfriend (and member of the band Steel Train), Jack Antonoff, wrote lyrics that refer to Johansson in the song "Better Love."^[47] Antonoff alludes to Johansson in the song "2 O'clock." She has been linked to many famous men, including Derek Jeter,^[48] Benicio del Toro,^[49] Jared Leto,^[48] Justin Timberlake^[50] and her Black Dahlia co-star Josh Hartnett. They dated for about two years until the end of 2006, with Hartnett citing their busy lives as the reason for the split.^[51]

She started dating Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in 2007,^[52] and on May 5, 2008, it was reported that the two were engaged.^[53]

On September 27, 2008, Johansson and Reynolds were married at a quiet ceremony outside Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.^[54][55] Johansson has expressed a concern about the potential conflict between the nature of human beings and the concept of monogamy. However, she has also stated "contrary to popular belief... [I am] not promiscuous" and that she works "really hard" when she's in a relationship "to make it work in a monogamous way."^[56] She gets tested for HIV twice a year, and has said "it's part of being a decent human" and it is "disgusting" and "irresponsible" when people do not do so.^[57]

Johansson is close to her twin brother Hunter, and often gives him advice on women and dating.^[58]

She has criticized the media and Hollywood for promoting an image that causes unhealthy diets and eating disorders among women, saying "that being ultra-thin is not sexy at all. Women shouldn't be forced to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body images that the media promote."^[59]

Johansson appeared on the cover of the March 2006 issue of Vanity Fair in the nude alongside actress Keira Knightley and fashion designer Tom Ford.^[60] In March 2006, she topped the U.S. edition of FHM's poll of the sexiest women alive (in the UK edition Johansson was third). In 2007, Maxim named Johansson #3 in their Hot 100 issue.^[61] In November 2006, Johansson was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire.^[62] In February 2007, she was named the "Sexiest Celebrity" of the year by Playboy.^[63]

About her religious affiliation, Johansson says: "That's a very personal question. I would rather not answer." She celebrates a "little of both" referring to Christmas and Hanukkah.^[64] She dislikes when celebrities thank God or Jesus in their award acceptance speeches.^[65] She described herself as Jewish when she was talking about Woody Allen. "I just adore Woody," she says. "We have a lot in common. We're New Yorkers, Jewish. We have a very easygoing relationship."^[66]

Johansson is a Global Ambassador for the aid and development agency, Oxfam.^[67] On March 14, 2008, a UK-based bidder by the name of Bossnour paid £20,000 for a 20 minute date with Johansson on an online auction for Oxfam on eBay. The bidder paid for a hair and make up treatment and the chance to accompany Johansson on her July premiere of He's Just Not That Into You.^[68]

She is a fan of the children's television show SpongeBob Squarepants. She supplied the voice of Mindy the Mermaid in The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie.

Together with Michael Caine, she co-hosted the 2008 Nobel Peace Concert.

Johansson is a Democrat. In 2004, she campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.^[9] She was quoted as saying of George W. Bush's re-election, "[I am] disappointed. I think it was a disappointment for a large percentage of the population."^[69] Johansson campaigned for Barack Obama in Iowa on January 2, 2008; her efforts were targeted at small groups of younger voters, including Cornell College students^[70] and students at St. Paul Central in Minnesota on Super Tuesday. Johansson appeared in the 2008 music video for Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am's song, "Yes We Can", directed by Jesse Dylan. The song was inspired by Obama's speech following the 2008 New Hampshire primary. According to the FEC's website, she donated the maximum allowed amount of $2300 to the Obama campaign on May 8, 2008.

Johansson has also taken part in the anti-poverty campaign ONE which was organized by U2 lead singer Bono.^[9]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlett_Johansson

Ginnifer Goodwin Profile

Ginnifer Michelle Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American television and film actress, best known for her role as Margene Heffman on the HBO series Big Love.

Personal life

Goodwin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Linda, a Federal Express worker, and Tim Goodwin, who formerly owned and operated a recording studio.^[1] Her younger sister, Melissa Goodwin, is a prominent stop motion animator on shows such as the Emmy Award winning Robot Chicken, on which Ginnifer has also appeared as voice talent.

Goodwin was affiliated with the North American Federation of Temple Youth and was active in BBYO at the Jewish Community Center in Memphis growing up.^[2] After graduating from Lausanne Collegiate School in 1996, Goodwin went on to Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, with honors, in 2001.^[1]

She dated actor Chris Klein for two years; they broke up in December 2008.^[3]

She is a vegan.

Goodwin first had roles in the popular NBC television programs Law & Order and Ed before appearing in the Comedy Central television movie Porn 'n Chicken. She later had substantial roles in the films Mona Lisa Smile, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, and Walk the Line, in which she portrayed Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash's first wife. She also played Dori Dumchovic in the dark comedy Love Comes to the Executioner.^[4] Goodwin is currently in a supporting role as Margene Heffman, the third wife in a polygamous family, on the HBO original series Big Love.

She stars in He's Just Not That into You, due to be released in February 2009.

In 2008, MaxMara honored Goodwin with a "Face of the Future" award, an award recognizing women in film excellence.^[5] Also, Gap announced Goodwin will be the face of Gap's Fall 2008 ad campaign.^[6]

Filmography

• Law & Order episode "Myth of Fingerprints" (2001)
• Ed (2001–2004)
• Porn 'n Chicken (2002)
• Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
• Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)
• Walk the Line (2005)
• Robot Chicken (2005— )
• Big Love (2006— )
• Love Comes to the Executioner (2006)
• Day Zero (2006)
• In the Land of Women (2007)
• Birds of America (2008)
• He's Just Not That Into You (2009

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginnifer_Goodwin

Jennifer Connelly Profile

Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American film actress and former child model. Although she has been working in the film industry since she was a teenager and catapulted to fame on the basis of her appearances in films like Labyrinth and Career Opportunities, she did not receive wide exposure for her work until the 2000 drama Requiem for a Dream, and the 2001 biopic A Beautiful Mind, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

Early life

Connelly was born in the Catskill Mountains, New York, the daughter of Ilene, an antiques dealer, and Gerard Connelly, a clothing manufacturer who worked in the garment industry.^[1][2] Connelly's paternal grandparents were of Irish and Norwegian descent, respectively, while her maternal grandparents were Jewish, their families having come from Russia and Poland^[3] (Connelly's mother was schooled in a yeshiva).^[4] Connelly was raised in Brooklyn Heights, near the Brooklyn Bridge, and attended St. Ann's School, except for four years the family spent living in Woodstock, New York.^[5] One of her father's friends was an advertising executive, who suggested that she audition at a modeling agency.

At the age of ten, Connelly's career started in newspaper and magazine ads, then moved to television commercials. These led to movie auditions and her first film role was as "young Deborah Gelly", a supporting role in Sergio Leone's 1984 gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America, filmed mostly in 1982 when she was eleven.^[6] She next starred in Italian horror-director Dario Argento's Phenomena (1985) and in the coming-of-age movie Seven Minutes in Heaven.

Early career

Connelly became a star with her next picture, the fantasy Labyrinth (1986), playing Sarah, a teenager who wishes her baby brother into the world of goblins ruled by goblin king Jareth (David Bowie). The film disappointed at the box office, but gained a following among fantasy fans. Connelly starred in several obscure films, such as Etoile (1988) and Some Girls (1988). The Dennis Hopper-directed The Hot Spot (1990) was not a success, either critically or commercially. Another film, Career Opportunities, was more successful and is considered a teen cult classic. It and Hot Spot threatened to typecast her in the "sexpot" stereotype with both films emphasizing her voluptuous figure, particularly Hot Spot, which contained her first topless scene. It would be the first of seven movies in which she appeared nude. Connelly was featured on the cover of Esquire in August 1991, as part of the "Women We Love" feature.^[7] She appeared alongside Jason Priestley in the Roy Orbison music video for "I Drove All Night" in 1992. Connelly began studying English at Yale, and two years later transferred to Stanford.

The big-budget Disney film The Rocketeer (1991) similarly failed to ignite Connelly's career; after its failure, she took some time off from acting. The 1996 independent film Far Harbor played her against type and hinted at a much broader range than she had previously shown. Connelly began to appear in smaller but well-regarded films, such as 1997's Inventing the Abbotts and 2000's Waking the Dead. She played a collegiate lesbian in John Singleton's 1995 ensemble drama, Higher Learning. The critically favored 1998 science fiction film Dark City afforded her the chance to work with such actors as Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Ian Richardson, and Kiefer Sutherland. Connelly revisited her ingenue image, although in a more understated way, for the 2000 biopic Pollock, in which she played Jackson Pollock's mistress.

Breakthrough

Connelly's big breakthrough was the 2000 film Requiem for a Dream. Connelly starred alongside Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans as heroin addicts on the edge of a breakdown. The film firmly established her as a serious actress. Connelly next starred in Ron Howard's film A Beautiful Mind (2001), essaying the role of Alicia Nash, the long-suffering wife of the brilliant, schizophrenic mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. (played by Russell Crowe). The film was a critical and commercial success and earned Connelly a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her appearance in A Beautiful Mind led to a featured article in Time magazine.^[8]

Connelly starred in two films in 2003: Hulk and House of Sand and Fog. Hulk was something of a box office disappointment, but afforded Connelly the chance to work with noted director Ang Lee. House of Sand and Fog, based on the novel by Andre Dubus III, was reminiscent of much of her independent film work of the late 1990s. Connelly appeared in the 2005 horror film Dark Water, which was based on a Japanese film. In 2006, Connelly appeared in two films, both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. She played a major role in an adaptation of the novel Little Children alongside Kate Winslet. Although her role as Kathy Adamson is very important in the novel, director Todd Field gave her character less screen time, instead focusing on the characters played by Winslet and Patrick Wilson. She also played a journalist in Blood Diamond opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. She next appeared in Reservation Road with Joaquin Phoenix, which was given a limited release in the fall of 2007.

Connelly next appeared alongside Keanu Reeves in the 2008 remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still. Her upcoming roles include a small independent thriller with her husband Paul Bettany, and a small part opposite Drew Barrymore in He's Just Not That Into You.

In 2008, she was named the face of Balenciaga's ads,^[9] as well as the new face for Revlon cosmetics.^[10]

Personal life

Connelly was a vegan.^[11] She is married to actor Paul Bettany (born 1971), whom she met while working on A Beautiful Mind. The couple's son, Stellan (named after actor Stellan Skarsgård),^[12] was born on August 5, 2003. His godfather is the actor Charlie Condou. She also has a son, Kai (born 1997), from her relationship with photographer David Dougan.^[13]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Connelly

Cheryl Cole Profile

Cheryl Ann Cole (née Tweedy, born 30 June 1983) is a British singer and member of the band Girls Aloud. As part of Girls Aloud and as a featuring artist, Cole has had 21 UK Top Ten singles. In 2008, Cole became a judge on the British reality TV show The X Factor.^[1][2] She is married to the Chelsea and England football player Ashley Cole.

Early life and career

Cheryl Tweedy was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England and lived in a suburb called Heaton.^[3] She is one of five children - one younger brother, Garry, and two half-brothers - Andrew and Joseph, and one half-sister Gillian.^[4]

In addition to dancing, Cheryl won many modelling competitions, including Boots Group's bonniest baby, Mothercare Happy Faces Portrait competition, Best Looking Girl of Newcastle, The Evening Chronicle 'Little Miss & Mister' and Most Attractive Girl at the MetroCentre.^[5]She also appeared in two British Gas adverts, an SCS advert, and an Eldon Square Christmas advert with younger brother Garry. Interested in dancing from an early age, Cole joined the Royal Ballet's summer school at the age of nine.^[6] She sang, modelled and appeared in recitals on some television shows.

In 2008, Cole was voted number 7 in FHM's 100 sexiest women 2008 poll.^[7] In February 2009, Cole appeared on the cover of British Vogue.^[8]

Girls Aloud

Main article: Girls Aloud

Cheryl auditioned for Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, singing S Club 7's "Have You Ever". She was the first person to be chosen for Girls Aloud which has gone on to be one of the most successful British pop groups of the decade.^[9]

Collaboration with Will.I.Am

After taking streetdancing classes during the filming of Passions of Girls Aloud series, Cole was picked to appear in the music video for Will.I.Am's single "Heartbreaker". She was later asked to sing additional vocals on the track.^[10] The song was released in the UK on 5 May 2008, but had already entered the top ten on download sales, peaking at number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.

The X Factor

Main article: The X Factor (UK)

On 10 June 2008, it was announced Cole would replace Sharon Osbourne as a judge for the fifth series of The X Factor.^[1][2]

A week before the 2008 series, in a 9 August 2008 interview with Cosmopolitan (magazine) magazine, Cole's fellow judge Dannii Minogue said she believed Cole could bring a new side to the talent show: "One week Cheryl was talking about urban music and telling Simon Cowell 'This is what the show needs; this is where you've been going wrong'."^[11] Cheryl was given the Girls category, subsequently ending up as the winning judge, with Alexandra Burke winning the show on 13 December 2008.

Personal life

On 11 January 2003, Cheryl was involved in an altercation with a nightclub toilet attendant, Sophie Amogbokpa, in "The Drink" nightclub in Guildford (now called "Harper's"). Cole was subsequently charged with racially aggravated assault (she had allegedly called Amogbokpa a "jigaboo"^[12]) and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. During her trial Cheryl claimed she acted in self defence (claiming she had been punched first) and denied using racially abusive language. The jury found her guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but cleared her of racially aggravated assault.^[13] The judge sentenced her to 120 hours of community service and ordered her to pay her victim £500 in compensation, as well as £3,000 prosecution costs.^[14]

In July 2006, Tweedy married footballer Ashley Cole in Barnet, North West London.^[15]

Musical Legacy

Cheryl Cole has become the title of various songs by various singers. In 2007, Lily Allen included a song entitled Cheryl Tweedy on her debut single Smile. In 2009, Jack Lucien stated in a blog that he had written a song about Cole for his new album ^[16].

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheryl_Cole

Drew Barrymore Profile

Drew Blyth Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress and film producer. She is the youngest member of the Barrymore family of American actors. She began acting when she was eleven months old. Barrymore made her screen debut in Altered States in 1980. Afterwards, she starred in her breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She quickly became one of Hollywood's most recognized child actresses, going on to establish herself in mainly comic roles.

Following a turbulent childhood which was marked by drug and alcohol abuse and two stints in rehab,^[1][2] Barrymore wrote the 1990 autobiography, Little Girl Lost. Barrymore successfully made the transition from child star to adult actress with a number of films including the unsuccessful Poison Ivy, Bad Girls, Boys on the Side, and Everyone Says I Love You. Subsequently, she has established herself in romantic comedies such as The Wedding Singer and starred in the drama film Lucky You opposite Eric Bana.

In 1995, she and partner Nancy Juvonen formed the production company Flower Films, with its first production the 1999 Barrymore film Never Been Kissed. Flower Films has gone on to produce the Barrymore vehicle films Charlie's Angels, 50 First Dates, and Music and Lyrics, as well as the cult film Donnie Darko. Barrymore's more recent projects include He's Just Not That into You, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and Everybody's Fine. A recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Barrymore appeared on the cover of the 2007 People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful issue.

Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Since then, she has donated over $1 million dollars to the program. In 2007, she became both CoverGirl's newest model and spokeswoman for the cosmetic and the face for Gucci's newest jewelry line.

Barrymore was born in Culver City, California, the daughter of American actor John Drew Barrymore and Ildikó Jaid Barrymore (née Makó),^[1][3] an aspiring actress born in a displaced persons camp in Brannenburg, West Germany to Hungarian World War II refugees. She is of Irish descent on her father's side through an ancestor, actor Maurice Costello. Her parents divorced after she was born.^[1] She has a half-brother John Blyth Barrymore,^[4] also an actor, and two half-sisters, Blyth Dolores Barrymore and Brahma (Jessica) Blyth Barrymore.

Barrymore was born into the acting profession, her great-grandparents Maurice Barrymore and Georgie Drew Barrymore, Maurice Costello and Mae Costello (née Altschuk)^[5] and her grandparents John Barrymore and Dolores Costello were all actors;^[5] John Barrymore was arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation.^[1][6] She is the grand-niece of Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore and Helene Costello^[7], the great-great-granddaughter of John Drew and actress Louisa Lane Drew, and the great grandniece of silent film actor/writer/director Sidney Drew.^[8] She is also the god-daughter of director Steven Spielberg.^[2]

Her first name, Drew, was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother, Georgie Drew Barrymore; her middle name, Blyth, was the original surname of the dynasty founded by her great-grandfather, Maurice Barrymore.^[2]

Barrymore's career began when she auditioned for a dog food commercial at eleven months old.^[2] When she was bitten by her canine co-star, the producers were afraid she would cry, but she merely laughed, and was hired for the job.^[2] She made her film debut in Altered States (1980), in which she got a small part.^[1] A year later, she landed the role of Gertie, the younger sister of Elliott, in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which made her famous.^[2] She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1984 for her role in Irreconcilable Differences, in which she starred as a young girl divorcing her parents.^[2][9] In a review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert states: "Barrymore is the right actress for this role precisely because she approaches it with such grave calm." He concludes with saying that "The Drew Barrymore character sees right through all of this. She doesn't care about careers, she wants to be given a happy home and her minimum daily requirement of love, and, in a way, the movie is about how Hollywood (and American success in general) tends to cut adults off from the natural functions of parents."^[10]

In the wake of this sudden stardom, Barrymore endured a notoriously troubled childhood. She was already a regular at the famed Studio 54 when she was a little girl, smoking cigarettes at age nine, drinking alcohol by the time she was 11, smoking marijuana at 12, and snorting cocaine at 13.^[1][2] Her nightlife and constant partying became a popular subject with the media.^[1] She was in rehab at age 13.^[1][2] A suicide attempt at age 14 put her back in rehab, followed by a three month stay with singer David Crosby and his wife.^[6] The stay was precipated, Crosby said, because she "needed to be around some people that were committed to sobriety."^[6] Barrymore later described this period of her life in her 1990 autobiography, Little Girl Lost. The next year, following a successful juvenile court petition for emancipation, she moved into her own apartment and has never relapsed.^[6]

In her late teens, Barrymore forged a new image as she played a manipulative teenage seductress in Poison Ivy (1992), which was a box office failure, but was popular on video and cable.^[1][11] That same year, at the age of 17, she posed nude for the cover of the July issue of Interview magazine with her then-fiance, actor Jamie Walters, as well as appearing nude in pictures inside the issue.^[12] In 1993, Barrymore earned a second Golden Globe nomination for the film Guncrazy.^[9] Barrymore would go on to pose nude for the January 1995 issue of Playboy.^[13][14] Steven Spielberg, who directed her in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial when she was a child, gave her a quilt for her twentieth birthday with a note that read, "Cover yourself up".^[2] Enclosed were copies of her Playboy pictures, with the pictures altered by his art department so that she appeared fully clothed.^[15] She would appear nude in five of her films during this period. During a 1995 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore climbed onto Dave Letterman's desk and bared her breasts to him, her back to the camera, in celebration of his birthday.^[6] She modeled in a series of Guess? jeans ads during this time.^[16] She underwent breast reduction surgery in 1992, and has said on the subject:

“

I really love my body and the way it is right now. There's something very awkward about women and their breasts because men look at them so much. When they're huge, you become very self-conscious. Your back hurts. You find that whatever you wear, you look heavy in. It's uncomfortable. I've learned something, though, about breasts through my years of pondering and pontificating, and that is: Men love them, and I love that.[17]

In 1995, Barrymore starred in Boys on the Side opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise Parker,^[18] and had a cameo role in Joel Schumacher's film Batman Forever, in which she portrayed a glitzy Marilyn Monroe character.^[19][20] The following year, she made a cameo in the successful horror film Scream. Barrymore has continued to be highly bankable, and a top box office draw.^[1][21] She was frequently cast in romantic comedies, such as Wishful Thinking (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998),^[22] Home Fries (1998),^[23]

Besides a number of appearances in films produced by her company, Flower Films, including Charlie's Angels, Barrymore had a dramatic role in the comedy/drama Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), playing a teenage mother in a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father (based on the real-life story of Beverly D'Onofrio).^[24] In 2002, Barrymore appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, alongside Julia Roberts.^[25]

In 1995, Barrymore formed Flower Films, a production company, with partner Nancy Juvonen.^[26] The first film produced by the company was 1999's Never Been Kissed.^[27] The second offering from the company was Charlie's Angels (2000), a major box office success of 2000 that helped solidify the standing of both Barrymore and the company.^[2][28]

When the production of Richard Kelly's debut film, Donnie Darko, was threatened, Barrymore stepped forward with financing from Flower Films and took the small role of Karen Pomeroy, the title character's English teacher.^[29] Although the film was less than successful at the box office in the wake of 9/11, it reached cult film status after the DVD release, inspiring numerous websites devoted to unraveling the plot twists and meanings.^[29]

In 2003, she reprised her role as Dylan Sanders in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,^[1][28] was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in Olive, the Other Reindeer^[30] and appeared with Ben Stiller in Duplex in 2003. Flower Films produced 50 First Dates with co-star Adam Sandler's Happy Madison company in 2004.^[31][32] Summing up Barrymore's appeal, Roger Ebert, in his review of 50 First Dates, described Barrymore as having a "smiling, coy sincerity", describing the film as "ingratiating and lovable".^[33]

50 First Dates was followed by Fever Pitch (2005), and in 2007, Music and Lyrics and Lucky You.^[34][35] Barrymore's more recent projects include Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Grey Gardens in 2008 and the upcoming He's Just Not That into You and Everybody's Fine.

One of her more recent roles has involved her becoming a recurring character in the animated comedy Family Guy as Brian Griffin's simple-minded girlfriend, Jillian.^[36] She has since appeared in four episodes.^{[36][37][38][39]} She was the subject of the 2005 documentary My Date with Drew. In it, an aspiring filmmaker and a fan of Barrymore's, uses his limited resources in an attempt to gain a date with her.^[40]

On February 3, 2004, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[41]

Josette Sheeran Shiner, Barrymore, Condoleezza Rice, and Paul Tergat

Barrymore has a worldwide box office gross that stands at over $2.3 billion. According to The Hollywood Reporter's annual Star Salary Top 10, she was one of the actresses with the second highest salary per movie for 2006.^[42]

On February 3, 2007, Barrymore hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the fifth time,^[28] making her the second female host in the show's history to do so (Candice Bergen being the first), and she still remains the youngest celebrity to host the show (Barrymore hosted in 1982 at age seven).^[43][44]

Barrymore became a CoverGirl Cosmetics' model and spokeswoman in 2007,^[45] and was No. 1 in People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People list.^[46] In 2007, she was named the new face for the Gucci jewelry line.^[47][48] Barrymore is signed to IMG Models New York City.

In May 2007, Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme^[49][50] and later donated $1 million to the cause.^[28][51]

Barrymore was engaged and lived with musician/actor Jamie Walters for a period in 1992-93.^[52]

Barrymore was married to Welsh bartender turned bar owner Jeremy Thomas from March 20 to April 28, 1994.^[1][6] Her second marriage was to comedian Tom Green from July 7, 2001 to October 15, 2002.^[53][54] Green filed for divorce in December 2001.^[54] In 2002, Barrymore began dating Strokes' drummer Fabrizio Moretti, soon after they met at a concert.^[1][28] Their five year relationship, however, ended on January 10, 2007.^[28][55] She most recently dated Justin Long,^[56] however, they confirmed their split in July 2008.^[57]

In March 2007, former magazine editor Jane Pratt claimed on her Sirius Satellite Radio show that she had a romance with Barrymore in the mid-nineties.^[58] This was after Barrymore's own 2004 admission that she considered herself bisexual, commenting: "A woman and a woman together are beautiful, just as a man and a woman together are beautiful. Being with a woman is like exploring your own body, but through someone else. When I was younger I used to go with lots of women. Totally. I love it".^[59]

Barrymore was formerly a vegetarian, but has since begun to eat meat.^[60]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Barrymore